A Catering Nightmare
by ChasingSunsets
Summary: Working in a catering job, Bella gets the chance to go to all sorts of parties. But after Edward Cullen's party, things might never be the same for Bella again. AU AH E/B.
1. Chapter 1

**Here's a new story for you all. **

**If you like it, there's a little review button at the bottom of the page. Just saying.**

**Unfortunately, I don't own Twilight. Like you didn't know that.**

**Enjoy,**

**BPOV**

"Bella! Get your arse over here! These drinks aren't going to serve themselves!"

I sighed and took a last drag of my cigarette before stubbing it out. "Sorry Mike. Be there in a sec."

I hated this goddamn catering job. Running around after rich snobs to serve their drinks and bring them food while they looked down their noses at me, or worse, treated me like a piece of furniture. I hated it. But it was either this, or starving. And my arsehole landlord was on my back for being a month behind on my rent again. Meaning I was trying to cram as many hours at this crappy job as possible, stealing enough food of the plates so I didn't starve, while searching the papers every night for a better deal.

Unfortunately, there aren't many ads for 'Amazing New Life For Sale' in the classifieds.

"Bella!" Mike called again.

I pushed off the wall and sloped back inside the kitchen. It was huge and looked like it hadn't been used since...forever, which was quite possibly true. We were catering for some big party that Edward Cullen was throwing.

Edward Cullen, rock star extraordinaire. He was the hottest new thing on the scene, with his soulful voice and killer looks, and a reputation to match. Since his discovery two years ago, he'd already been through a bout of rehab, and been pictured with countless skanks and groupies. Everyone wanted him, and he knew it.

And now we were here, in his giant mansion of a house, to put on a big smile and pretend we're oh so fucking happy to help cater to his every need.

"I'm here, Mike," I mumbled as I dragged myself to the other side of the kitch.

"About fucking time! Right, Angela, you're on the crab cakes, ok. There's two plates over there. Get Eric to help you." He gestured over to the other side of the kitchen. "Bella! What are you still doing here! Tanya has specifically asked for the red. So get out there. Jess, honey, you get the champagne, and Lauren, you're on white. Go, go, go!"

Lauren sighed dramatically as she loaded up a tray of wine glasses. Jessica and I followed suit.

"Can you believe this?" Jessica squealed as we pushed through the big double doors, in to Cullen's front room. "This is Edward Cullen's house. The Edward Cullen! I can't believe I'm actually here!"

"God, Jess. He's not a freaking God or anything."

"Oh, you can't fool me Bella Swan! He's a complete God. A sex God." She sighed happily. "That _hair_. Oh. My. God."

I smirked. "Need a change of panties there Jess?"

"Don't pretend Bella. Not even _you_ are immune to his looks."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I demanded, turning on her.

She shrugged, her eyes scanning the room. "Nothing. I just – Oh, there he is! I'm gonna go ask he wants some champagne! Wish me luck!" She scooted off through the crowd without a backwards glance.

Grumbling to myself, I straightened my ridiculous black skirt and white shirt combo and set off in to the room myself.

**EPOV**

This night seemed never ending. The room was filled with some of the top names in the business and I was bored out of my mind. This was supposed to be a celebration for the success of my newest single, but no one really seemed to be paying attention. It was just an excuse to get drunk and schmooze with the people who could get you where you wanted to be.

I hated this business.

_I cannot believe Alice talked me in to doing this. I am so fucking bored. I wonder where Tanya got to..._

I was bought out of my musings by the sound of laughter around me. I laughed along, not entirely sure what I was laughing at.

"Excuse me, I'm just going to..." I started, but my explanation wasn't needed, as they all turned to listen to James Ryder's story about some crazy groupie. They didn't see me as I slipped in to the crowd.

"Edward," a voice purred in my ear. I looked round to see Tanya Denali. She was wearing a skin tight white dress that showed off her acres of legs. Too bad they were practically orange with fake tan. She ran her hand up and down my arm. Her fake nails scratched my arm. "Where have you been hiding yourself?"

"Tanya," I murmured, leaning closer to her under the pretence of being heard over the music and chatter. "Are you enjoying yourself?"

She moved her hand to my chest. "I could think of something I'd rather be doing."

"Really?" I asked, flashing her my famous Cullen smile. "And what might that be?"

Her fingers were tracing the line of buttons on my shirt. "I think you know."

I was fully intent on ditching the party and dragging Tanya upstairs. The party was still going...no one would notice if I were to disappear for a while...

But the Tanya screamed.

It was one of those moments that happened in slow motion. I watched as a brunette girl tripped, sending the tray she was carrying - and the two glasses of red wine that were balanced on it – in to the air.

The first glass landed in front of Tanya, breaking the glass and splashing the red liquid up at her dress. She screeched, sending herself crashing in to me as she tried to escape it. The second glass arced backwards towards the girl. She flinched as the glass flew towards her, emptying its contents over her shirt. It hit her on the shoulder, breaking on impact.

"Shit," she mumbled. "Shit, shit, shit."

**BPOV **

_Shit! _

I was officially screwed. That creepy old man had pinched my bum, and I had totally freaked and tripped. If that wasn't bad enough, I had to do it in front of the host and his girlfriend! Now my blouse was soaked with red wine and there was a sharp pain in my arm.

_Shit. I was so fucked._

I did a quick sweep to assess the damage. Two broken glasses, wine stained shirt, and...

"She ruined my dress! You little bitch!" Tanya screeched, gesturing to the bottom of her dress. A few drops of the wine had caught it, leaving specks of colour.

"I'm so sorry. So, so sorry. I'll just go get something to clean up the mess and I can get the dress dry cleaned and..."

Tanya let out a hard laugh. "Like I'd let you near my dress! It can't be dry cleaned, little girl. This dress probably cost more than you make in a year. And now it's ruined."

_That much for a scrap of fabric? Man, she got ripped off._

Edward Cullen was looking at me with disgust.

"I'm so, so sorry. I'll go get something to clean up this mess." I looked down. _Crap, carpet. _"I'll - I'll be right back."

Jess appeared at my shoulder and thrust a box of cleaning products and a dustpan at me. "Mike's seriously pissed," she said to me in an undertone, and then disappeared.

I knelt down quickly, brushing up the glass that had shattered as fast as I could. The low rumble of chatter was beginning to start up again. I pulled out a series of carpet cleaners and prayed I'd disappear.

"Come on Edward. Let's go," Tanya snarled above me. I watched their feet disappear.

When I had cleaned up the stain as best I could, I stood up. It was hardly noticeable, thank God. Returning the products to the box, I got to the kitchen again as fast as I could.

As soon as I pushed the door open, Mike was there. His face was red and the look in his eyes told me not to mess with him.

"For fuck's sake Bella! I give the simple fucking task of handing out glasses and you go and fucking mess it up! Can you do anything right? Anything at all? I told you Bella. One more fuck up and you're out! This is the last straw!"

He took a step towards me, and I took a step back, towards the counter. None of the others were here. Just him and me.

"This is the biggest fucking job of my career and I don't need some bitch like you messing it up for me! You're lucky I took your whore arse in or you'd be out on the fucking streets by now! Don't think I haven't seen you stealing food. Don't think I haven't fucking SEEN IT!"

I was backed right up against the counter now. He raised his hand to me, and, automatically, I flinched away from him, waiting for the sting across my cheek.

"I don't think you want to do that," a voice said from across the room. "I'll call security."

Mike's head swung round. The figures image was blurred through the tears in my eyes but I could tell it was a small, petite women. Mike took a step away from me.

"That won't be necessary."

The women walked across the kitchen. I wiped the heels of my hands roughly across my eyes. She was tiny, and looked like a beautiful doll. When she took my hand, her grip was surprisingly strong.

"Bella, isn't it?" I nodded. "We should go and get you cleaned up."

**EPOV**

"Come on Edward. Let's go."

She pulled on my hand and I unthinkingly obeyed the pressure. The brunette was cleaning the spilt wine behind us.

Tanya was jabbering on in my ear about how expensive her dress was, and how it was ruined. I tuned her out.

The girl. The brunette. I couldn't get the picture of her out of my mind.

I'd been ready to fire her on the spot and demand that she replaced the damaged glasses, but when she looked up at me, all those thoughts left my head.

I was speechless. She was beautiful. Perfect porcelain skin and big chocolate doe eyes even filled with the embarrassment and anger hers had held, were still the most beautiful eyes I had ever seen. And when she'd knelt down in front of me, fuck if I didn't imagine my fingers tangled in her hair as those big, pouty lips around my cock.

_I was going to hell._


	2. Chapter 2

**Dear wonderful readers,**

**I was overwhelmed by the response to the first chapter. When I opened my emails, my face was just one big smile. :]**

**So, here you go. The next chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. **

**Enjoy,**

**EPOV**

After I'd shook off Tanya who was still moaning about her dress, I did a quick circuit around the room. I found her standing by the stairway.

"Alice," I greeted.

"Edward! What happened over there? I heard that Tanya skank screaming at someone? Is she making a scene? Shall I get security?" Alice disliked Tanya, and she made no attempt to hide it.

"No, it's fine. But I need you to do something for me."

"Sure, what's up?"

I ran my hand through my hair. "One of the catering girls spilled red wine over the carpet, and on Tanya's dress. She's petite, brown haired..." _Beautiful_. "Could you please go and express my dissatisfaction to the caterer?"

Alice cocked her head to the side and raised an eyebrow at me. "Sure, Edward. Is that what Tanya was screaming about? 'Cause that dress was ugly anyway."

"The caterer. Thank you, Alice." She nodded once and danced off across the room. Most people were beginning to leave now, thank God. I crossed the room, nodding and returning goodbyes as I headed for two of the caterers who were chatting.

"...he's super pissed. And you know what he said last time. This is it for her," one of them was saying as I approached.

"Hey, can I get some champagne?" I interrupted.

The one who had been talking whipped her head around. As soon as she saw me, a wide smile crossed her face. "Of course, Mr Cullen." She handed me a champagne flute and batted her eyelashes a few times.

"Thanks," I muttered. The majority of people had left now, with only a few drunken stranglers being helped to their cars. I ducked around them.

"Edward!" a voice boomed.

"Hey, Emmett." Emmett was my publicist, and he was great at his job. We'd become pretty good friends due to the endless amount of time we spent on publicity tours.

"Great party man. Congrats."

"Thanks. Thanks for coming."

"Wouldn't have missed it man. Not my favourite little superstar!"

I smiled. "Don't let James hear you say that."

He laughed loudly. "James is too drunk to remember even if he did hear."

I laughed too. My head was beginning to pound.

I took an exaggerated glance at my watch. "It's getting late."

"I'll leave you be," Emmett said, smacking a hand on my shoulder. "I need to go find Rosie baby anyway."

"Thanks man."

God, I just wanted to sleep.

_Maybe the alcohol is getting to me._ I deposited my flute on a bookcase.

I escaped up the stairs without meeting anyone else. It was quiet and still upstairs, the hum of the last minute stragglers and cleaning up going on downstairs fading away. The door of my room was cracked open slightly, and I could hear a faint rustling inside.

"Hey, you," Alice said as I pushed the door open.

"What're you doing?" I asked her. She was holding a stained blouse in one hand and a strappy top and a pair of boxers in the other.

Alice turned to me and gave me a strange look.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

She took a deep breath. "Don't freak out, ok?"

_Nothing following that sentence is ever, ever good. _

"Nothing following that sentence is ever, ever good."

"That's not promising."

I sighed. "Fine, fine, I promise."

"Yay! Right, so you know Bella? Well I walked in on her and that douchebag – "

"Wait, wait," I interrupted. "Who's Bella?"

She quirked her eyebrow. "Bella? The catering girl? The one you wanted your dissatisfaction expressed about?"

_Bella. She had a name. A very, very fitting name._

I feigned indifference. "Oh yeah. Bella. Carry on."

"Yeah, Bella. So I went in to the kitchen like you asked and I find her asshole boss backing her up against the counter with his hand raised to her, yelling and swearing at her."

Sudden, irrational anger surged in my stomach. "He hit her?"

"No, I got there first, but it was definitely going that way. So I pulled her out of there and got her cleaned up. She had a pretty nasty cut on her arm. She says she's used to it but I might ask Dad to pop round and check her."

I nodded absentmindedly, still thinking about her asshole boss. "So where is she now?"

"Well...she's kind of in your shower."

Immediately, an image of naked Bella, water running down her skin popped in to my head. I pushed it away.

"Why is she in my shower?" My voice sounded gravelly. I hoped it passed off as anger.

Alice sighed and I saw sadness creep in to her eyes. "She's just cleaning up."

"What aren't you telling me, Alice?"

"She's...well, from what I can tell, she's in a bit of a mess. She's just been fired from her job and I'm pretty sure that was the only job she had."

I shrugged. "So she'll find another job."

"I think she really needed the money. She hasn't said anything but – she's really skinny. And, well, I overheard her boss yelling at her for stealing food."

I sighed. "What do you want me to do, Alice? Do you want me – "

I was cut off by the sound of someone clearing their throat softly. I whirled around. There she was in the doorway and _fuck_. She was wrapped in a white fluffy robe. Her hair was down and pulled around one shoulder in long gentle waves. It exposed the creamy white skin on the curve of her neck and gave me a glimpse of her collarbone that stuck out starkly. The robe stopped mid-thigh, showing me her long, thin legs. She shuffled nervously from foot to foot, and when I met her gaze, she blushed.

_Fuck. And I'm hard. Please go put some clothes on. Or at least, let me fuck you senseless against the wall. _

"Um, sorry," she said in a small voice. "Alice said it would be ok if I used your shower."

"Its fine, isn't it Edward?" Alice said, glaring at me.

"Yeah – yeah, it's fine," I said, trying to pull my eyes away from her exposed legs. Trying to stop imagining what they would feel like wrapped around me...

"Thank you," she said softly. "Alice, do you have my clothes?"

_Yes, Alice. Please give her some clothes._

"I grabbed you a tank top but I don't know if it'll fit. You're a bit taller than me." She scrutinized her, and then threw her the top. "But you can try it on."

"Thank you, Alice, but I can just wear my blouse."

"Don't be silly Bella! It's still soaking. You'll freeze to death if you wear it. I'm gonna throw it in with the washing."

"Oh, no! I couldn't ask you to do that. I'll just take it home."

Alice waved away her comment. "Nonsense. Go try on the tank. And you can borrow some of Edward's boxers." She threw a glare at me. "Can't she?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Fabulous!" She chucked the boxers towards Bella, who missed. I averted my eyes as she bent down to retrieve them, showing even more skin. I didn't want to do anything rash.

_No, I was going to take my time as she writhed underneath me._

"Sorry," Bella mumbled softly, before disappearing into the bathroom to change. I waited until the door clicked shut before speaking.

"What are you planning Alice?"

She rolled her eyes. "Nothing."

"Alice..."

"What is your problem with her Edward? You can barely look at her! She's just a sweet, beautiful girl who's just been fired from her job! Maybe you, Mr Big Star, can't remember what it's like to be broke and alone. But you were! I'm just trying to help her!"

A wave of guilt crashed over me. She was right. It hadn't been that long ago that we were sitting in a crappy little apartment while I played in smoky bars.

I closed the distance between us and pulled her in to a hug. "Sorry, Alice."

"You're an asshole," she mumbled in to my chest. "But I love you anyway."

"Thank God someone does."

She laughed and pushed on my chest to wiggle out of my arms. "I have a good feeling about her. Try not to mess this up, ok?" she said seriously.

"I'll try."

"Good." She tossed me a smile, before raising her voice and asking, "Bella? Does it fit?"

"Just about," Bella called back.

"Is it the top?"

"Um, yeah. It's just a little –"

"Do you need another one?" Alice interrupted.

The lock on the door clicked and Bella pushed the door open. My eyes were mesmerized by the smooth slope of her neck and shoulder. The top was slightly too small, causing her breasts to strain against the fabric, and it stopped just above her hips, showing off her hipbones and leaving a sliver of skin over the boxers. _My boxers_. They were shorter than the robe, meaning even more of her creamy skin was on show to me, and fuck, the fourteen year old inside of me jizzed to see a hot women in batman boxers. I met her gaze, and she blushed self consciously.

"I think it'll be fine," Bella said quietly. "It's not uncomfortable, or anything." _My dick begs to differ. _"I just don't usually wear this sort of stuff..."

Alice scrutinized her appearance. "You totally should. You look hot."

"Oh, um, thank you." Her blush increased a shade and spread across the top of her chest. She opened her mouth, as if to say something, but then closed it again and dropped her eyes to the floor. Alice noticed too.

"What's up, Bella?"

Bella shot a furtive glance in my direction. "This is so embarrassing," she mumbled, almost to herself. She raised her eyes to meet Alice's. "Would you mind if I hang around to wash my clothes, before heading home?"

Alice cocked an eyebrow. "Heading home? I don't think you should be driving after your night, Bella, honey."

"That's fine," Bella said, forcing out a nervous laugh. "I'd be walking anyway..."

I found myself saying, "Where do you live?"

Bella's eyes met mine and I could see the nervousness in them. "Over on Landsfield," she mumbled.

"Landsfield? That's almost an hour away by car. You can't walk that. It's two in the morning!"

"Don't be silly, Bella," Alice interjected. "I can call Jazz to come and get us. You can crash on my couch tonight and then he'll drive you home tomorrow when your clothes are clean..."

"Alice, I couldn't ask you to do that. It's fine. I can just walk," Bella said hurriedly. "It's really no problem."

Alice looked at me expectantly. I sighed. _So that's her plan._ "Don't be stupid, Bella. You and Alice can crash here tonight."

Her eyes widened, but Alice cut her off before she could protest. "Perfect! Thank you Edward. You're the best big brother ever!"

"Calm it squirt," I laughed. "It's no trouble."

**BPOV**

Today had been the strangest day in my pathetic so-called-life. Firstly, I make a complete fool of myself in front of Edward Cullen – losing my crappy job in the process - and instead of getting kicked out of his house, his sister swoops in like an angel to save me. Then she drags me upstairs and lets me cry my little heart out on her shoulder before shooing me into the bathroom to clean up. And now I'm standing in front of one of the most famous people in the country, wearing his batman boxers, and being invited to stay in his house.

Yeah, crazy.

Alice's voice bought me out of my thoughts. "I'll take the pink room like usual then. And which room shall we put Bella in? We could put her in the yellow room?"

Edward cleared his throat and ran a hand through his hair. Jess's voice came back to me. 'That _hair._ Oh. My. God.' Even though I was completely, _completely _immune to his bad boy charms, I couldn't deny the appeal. It was the strangest colour I'd ever seen – a sort of reddy brown with copper tints, like the colour of a lucky penny. It fell haphazardly, tufting out in every direction, falling over those gorgeous green eyes, giving him the look of just rolling out of bed after a marathon of heated sex...

But I was completely immune to his charm.

"I was thinking Bella might like the blue room," he said.

Alice frowned. "You mean the blue room that's right by-"

"Yeah, that one." He ran his fingers through his hair again. _His long musician fingers. _"It's better, er, stocked."

"Riiiight. Ok. We'll put her in the blue room. Do you want me to show her where everything is?"

"It's ok. You look tired. I can show her."

"Alrighty then. Bells, I'm in the pink room if you need me. It's right at the end of the hallway." She danced forward and wrapped her arms around my neck tightly, before doing the same to Edward, and dancing out of the room, calling a goodbye over her shoulder.

The click of the door sounded blaringly loud in the quiet of the room.

"Well," Edward said, avoiding my eyes. "I'll show you your room."

"Ok," I answered. My voice sounded quiet and nervous even to my ears. "Thank you."

"It's no problem, Bella. Come on." He opened the door and gestured for me to walk through, which I did. We stepped out on to the landing together. "Right, so that room we've just been in is my bedroom. That one down there," he continued, pointing to the end of the corridor, "is Alice's room. This one here is yours." He opened a door to my right, gesturing for me to go inside.

I felt my breath catch in my throat as I stepped in to the room. It was bigger than my whole apartment. Hell, the bed that was placed in the middle of the room was bigger than my apartment. The bed was covered in a deep rich blue cover, with fluffy white pillows, inviting me to snuggle down in to it a sleep for days. The walls were a soft sky blue, and the carpet, which was thick under my bare feet, was a shade or two darker. My eyes roamed over the white furniture and came to a stop at the far wall. Built in to the wall was a huge fireplace edged in brick. The breath I didn't know I was holding whooshed out of me.

"Sorry it's only a queen sized bed. I can move you in to a room with a bigger one if you'd prefer?"

I whirled round. Edward was stood in the doorway awkwardly as he watched me take in the room.

"No!" I said. "No, it's perfect. Thank you so much."

He shook his head. "It's no big deal. Um, the en suite's just through that door. The fireplace hasn't been used in a while but it probably still works. Uh, there's some shampoo and stuff in the shower already I think. Or there's a bathroom just two doors down with a bath in if you'd prefer. Er, I think that's everything. Anything else you need?"

"I think that's everything. Thank you, Edward."

He nodded once and retreated to the door. "I'm just next door if you need anything."

"Thank you." I cast a longing glance at the bed. It looked so comfortable.

"Goodnight, Bella. Sleep well."

"Sweet dreams." The door clicked shut. "Edward."


	3. Chapter 3

**Dear fabulous readers,**

**Just because I love you so much, and I know you want to know what happens next...here's another chapter.**

**I do spoil you.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. **

**Enjoy,**

**BPOV**

I was lying somewhere extremely comfortable and I was incredibly warm. _Crap. I'm dead, aren't I? How the hell did I die?_

And then it all came rushing back. I cracked my eyes open. Yep. Same blue cover, same blue walls, same devastatingly beautiful room.

Reluctantly, I pushed back the cover, straightened my top, and scooted to the side of the bed. First thing first, I needed to pee and brush my teeth. Then I could figure out what the hell I was going to do.

After I was finished, I surveyed myself in the mirror. I was still dressed in the tank and boxers, having no more clothes, and I pulled my hair up and out of my face. My skin was pale, making the dark marks under my eyes more obvious. I looked gaunt and skinny. It was no wonder they'd taken pity on me. I was a mess.

I came back in to the room and made the bed. The clock blinked at me: 9:12. I looked around the room for something to do, but everything was immaculate. There was nothing else to do.

I opened the door quietly and tiptoed outside. Now I just had to find my way downstairs.

**EPOV**

"Morning Squirt," I half-said, half-yawned as I came in to the kitchen.

"Hey, asshole," she retorted.

I smirked as I poured myself some coffee. "What did I do to deserve that?"

"You know I hate the name Squirt," she pouted.

"You love it."

"I really don't."

"Sure you do."

"Edwaaard!"

"Shh, Alice. You'll wake Bella."

Alice rolled her eyes. "Sorry. Was she alright last night?"

"I think so." I took the seat opposite her and gulped down some coffee. "She was still asleep when I checked on her."

_Bella. _Her hair had been fanned out on the pillow like a dark halo. She'd pushed the cover down to her waist in the night, and he top had risen up slightly, showing off her flat stomach. One arm was flung above her head, and she looked so peaceful, with her mouth slightly open. She was even more beautiful than I remembered.

"I want to talk to you about Bella," Alice said seriously.

"What about Bella?"

"Well...I had an idea."

"Uh-oh. Should I be worried?"

Alice scowled. "No. I like her. I want to help her."

"So what do you need me to do?"

"Mrs Cope is going on maternity leave," she stated.

"What has my housekeeper got to do with Bella?" I asked, confused.

She sighed dramatically. "God, Edward. You can be so _dense_. Mrs Cope is going on maternity leave, meaning that you won't have a housekeeper."

I choked on my sip of coffee. "You want me to employ Bella to clean my house?"

"Finally. He gets it!" She rolled her eyes again. I'm surprised she didn't get eye strain. "I was thinking she could be your cook too."

It was too early to deal with this. Could I have Bella in my house without wanting to jump her constantly? "Do I need a cook?"

"I've been meaning to talk to you about that too. Your diet is horrendous. You can't live on take out and microwave meals."

"Do you even know if Bella can cook?"

She waved her hand in a vague direction. "She worked with a catering company."

"She was a server. That doesn't mean she can cook."

"Well I'll ask her when she comes down." She smiled happily. "I'll call up Mrs Cope and tell her she can start her maternity leave early. We'll talk through Bella's duties, and then she can move in as soon as possible."

_Wait, move in?_

"Wait, move in?"

"Well, duh, Edward. She's going to have to be here all day anyway to cook your sorry ass three meals. She might as well just stay. It makes the most sense."

I drained the rest of my coffee. "I don't know about this Alice."

"Why not?" she demanded. "Why do you not like Bella?"

"I like Bella," I huffed.

"So why won't you let her work here?"

"I didn't say that," I snapped, then immediately felt guilty when Alice's eyes flicked away from mine. I sighed. "If she even _wants _to do it, then I'll put her on a trial basis, ok?"

"A trial basis," Alice said, rolling the phrase round her tongue. "Ok. Deal."

"Deal," I agreed.

**BPOV**

I followed the murmur of voice, and was relieved to find both Alice and Edward sitting at a table. There were tables around the edge of the room laden with food and where a coffee pot gurgled to itself.

"Morning, Bella!" Alice sang as she noticed me standing in the doorway. "Help yourself to coffee."

"Good morning," Edward said. His hair was even more chaotic today, and he had stubble lining his jaw. His strong, manly, perfect jaw...

"Good morning," I said, taking a seat at the table.

"Don't you want any coffee?" he asked.

"Oh, no thank you."

"Do you want something else? We've got some juice, or, um..."

I bit my lip self consciously. "Do you have any tea?"

"Tea?" he repeated. He was looking at me curiously, with his head tilted slightly to the side and there was a little furrow in his brow. I wanted to smooth it away with my fingers.

_God Bella, where did that come from?_

"Yeah, tea. Y'know, um brown liquid, Brits drink it?" I explained.

He laughed and I marvelled in the sound of it. "Yeah, I've heard of it. I've just never met an American who prefers tea over coffee."

I smiled tentatively. "I spent a bit of time in England when I was younger. I just got hooked on it, I guess."

"In England, huh?" I nodded. "We don't have any tea, sorry. Can I get you anything else?"

"Just water would be fine, thank you."

He nodded and shuffled his chair out. When he reached up to grab a cup, I saw the top of his boxers peek out from underneath his jeans. I couldn't draw my eyes away from them.

"Thank you," I said as he placed a full glass in front of me.

"Edwaaaard! Beeeeella! Get your bums in here!" Alice called.

Edward ran his hand through his hair. "We better go and see what she wants."

I nodded and followed him out of the kitchen and down a corridor to another room, which was just as huge as all the other rooms in this house. Alice was stood in the centre of the room, clutching a sheaf of papers in her hand. She gestured towards a large cream sofa for us both to sit.

"Ok!" she exclaimed happily when we were both sat down. "Well, Bella, we have a proposition for you."

**EPOV**

"We have a proposition for you," Alice said, smiling her little head off.

"Um, ok?" Bella said apprehensively.

She had pulled her legs up and wrapped her arms around her, with her chin resting on her knees. I shuffled to the other side of the sofa, trying to ignore how her height would make it perfect to tuck her head in to the curve of my neck and how the skin of her hipbone begged to be covered with the curve of my palms.

Alice cleared her throat. "Firstly, are you a good cook?"

Bella glanced at me questioningly before saying, "I'm decent, I guess. I, um, like cooking."

"Perfect!" Alice trilled before sticking her tongue out at me in an I-told-you-so gesture. I rolled my eyes back at her. "So, Mrs Cope – Edward's housekeeper – is going on maternity leave soon. And you're in need of a job, yeah?"

Bella blushed and dropped her eyes. Her hand traced the cut on her arm seemingly unconsciously.

"There is also the issue of Edward's diet, which is frankly atrocious. Bearing all these facts in mind, I have come up with the master plan!"

"Alice, are you asking me to be Edward's new housekeeper?" Bella asked sceptically.

Alice pouted, no doubt disappointed that her big reveal had been stolen. "Housekeeper slash cook, actually."

She traced the cut on her arm again and sighed. "What exactly would that entail?"

"Well, you'd be required to do some cleaning around the house. Dusting and vacuuming and stuff like that. It's pretty much basic stuff. In addition to that, you'll be required to pick up some groceries, and prepare meals. I've got a full list of duties here for you." She drew out a sheet of paper from the pile she was holding and handed to Bella.

She surveyed the list while I surveyed her, trying to pass it off as casual interest, rather than using it as an excuse to survey her profile. Her eyebrows drew together as she read through the list, her lips soundlessly mouthing the tasks.

"That seems pretty reasonable," she said finally.

"Excellent!" Alice said. "Since you'll be here practically constantly anyway, we want you to move in as soon as possible. We'll get you a plan of Edward's activities every weekend so you can plan meals for the week. He's not always here, but you'll need to pick up stuff for your own meals too. You'll get a weekly budget to buy your ingredients with. We can sort that out when you start, depending on how much you need.

"We'll need to sort out sleeping arrangements for you. You can stay in the blue room if you're happy in there, or we can move you to a bigger room if you'd prefer?"

"The room I'm in now is perfect," she said.

"Great. Emmett has a van right, Edward?" I nodded. "Or we can hire one, if he's busy. You two muscle men can help Bella pack her stuff up and bring it over."

_Bella was going to be living with me. Eating with me. Talking with me. Spending time with me._

_...Working for me._

_Fuck. _

"I don't really know what the wages for this sort of stuff is, but we can figure that out as well, ok?" Alice was saying.

"Wages?" Bella repeated. Her brow was furrowed again. "You're already giving me a place to stay and food. It's too much..."

"Bella. This is your job. You're getting paid for it. That's final," I said forcefully. She looked at me in surprise, her brown eyes widening impossibly. "Right?"

"It's too much," she said again.

"That's final."

She sighed again. "I don't need it."

"Bella. How else are you going to buy clothes and shoes and stuff?" Alice reasoned.

"I have clothes and shoes," she said defiantly.

"For God's sake, Bella. Just take the money."

"I don't want much."

I rolled my eyes. "I'll put you on minimum wage."

A small smile graced her lips. "Promise?"

"Promise," I repeated.

"Ok then," she said softly.

"Alice, could you write up the contract for us? I'm going to give Bella the tour."

I held out my hand to her. She looked at it for a second and then reached out to grab it with hers.

A jolt of energy surged through my hand as he skin touched mine. She must have felt it to because she jerked her hand away from mine quickly.

"Static shock," she muttered to herself.

_Honey, that didn't feel like any static shock to me. That felt like something else entirely._

She slid her hand back in to mine carefully. I slid my fingers between hers.

_Ah, a perfect fit._


	4. Chapter 4

**Dear magnificent readers,**

**A shortish chapter today. **

**Edward's having a bit of a dilemma...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. **

**Enjoy,**

**BPOV**

They were going to pay me. They were offering me a place to stay. I could move out of that crappy little apartment to live _here_. In this mansion of a house. And I'd get a _kitchen _again. All I had to do was a bit of vacuuming around and cook up some meals.

I'd done this stuff practically all my life – helping Mom and Gran, and then for my dad, and then for _him_ – and now they were paying me to do it. Insisting that I take money for it.

_Plus, I get to stare at Edward Cullen all day, every day._

"I don't want much," I reiterated.

"I'll put you on minimum wage," Edward assured me, amusement colouring his tone, but I was pleased he was going along with it.

"Promise?"

"Promise."

I don't know how I'd deserved this. I'd just been fired from my crappy barely-lets-me-pay-the-rent-let-alone-eat job, and walked straight in to a job as Edward Cullen's housekeeper-come-cook. With my own room. And meals. And wages.

"Ok then."

This Edward looked ten years younger than the one that I'd met yesterday. He jumped up from the sofa and said something to Alice. I watched the way his lips moved as he shaped his words, the strong angle of his jaw, the column of his neck, the bright green of his eyes, the understated elegance of his fingers as he held his hand out to me...

_Oh. _I took his hand. As soon as our skin touched, a jolt ran through my hand, lighting the nerves in my hand like a surge of electricity, causing me to jerk my hand back.

_What the hell was that?_

_Just some static electricity _I reasoned _Yes. That's it. A static shock._

I slid my hand back in to his gingerly. The nerves seemed to hum again, but it wasn't uncomfortable. His palm was smooth against mine but there was a roughness to the pads of his fingers on the back of my hand. He flexed his hand, shifting slightly so that our fingers interlinked. I wondered idly if he noticed the way our hands fit perfectly together.

"Where shall we start our tour then Bella?" he asked. "Upstairs?"

"Sure," I agreed. "Upstairs sounds good."

We talked easily as he led me around the house, him gently tugging on my hand to move me on, which he hadn't let go of yet and pointing out rooms as we passed them. "The bedrooms, as you probably noticed, are all referred to in colours. There're six all together. The one at the end is the white room – that's my room – and then there's the blue room, which is now your room. Next is the brown room. Then the green room. The green room has got twin beds in, but all the others are queen or king size beds. We've got the twin beds in there for when Emmett and Rose bring their kids over. The yellow room is right next to that. And then Alice is staying in the pink room."

"That's a lot of rooms," I said.

_Maybe this cleaning job is going to be tougher than I thought._

He shrugged. "They hardly ever get used. Alice is the most frequent guest. And she's super neat. Occasionally I'll have other um, guests, but you don't need to worry about that."

_Other guests? Why did that sound so suspicious?_

Before I had time to dwell on that fact, he was talking to me again, explaining about en suites and laundry.

"Bella!" Alice called. "Bellllaaaa!"

"Coming!" I called back looking over at Edward. He smiled easily and pulled me down the stairs.

**EPOV**

I don't know why I'd been worried about this. I could keep my dick in my pants. I could ignore the urge to take her against the wall. Or to do a _proper _tour of the bedrooms...

But no. I was just holding her hand. That's all.

"Coming!" Bella called back to Alice.

_I bet I could make you come. _

No. She's my employee now.

My beautiful, sexy employee.

And I was screwed.

Bella glanced at me with those big brown eyes and I smiled at her, tugging her down the stairs towards where Alice was waiting.

She was stood in the back room and gave a pointed look at our joined hands as we entered. Bella blushed, obviously noticing the look, and loosened her grip. I sighed and let our hands drop immediately missing the feel.

"Here're your clothes Bella!" Alice chirped, shoving something at Bella. I recognised it as her uniform from last night. "And your phone," she added, producing it and handing it to Bella as well. "You've got a text."

She took the phone, pressing a few buttons to check her text. "Thanks Alice. I'll just, um –" She cut off as she read the text. Her eyebrows came together and the corners of her lips turned down.

Abruptly, she flipped her phone shut, muttering "I'll just go and change" before turning and striding out of the room.

"That was weird," Alice commented.

"Uh, yeah, a bit," I agreed. "What do you think the text was about?"

"Boyfriend, maybe?"

_Boyfriend?_

_Oh God, what if she had a boyfriend?_

_So what? _my other side argued. _You've slept with girls with boyfriends plenty of times before._

_But this is _Bella._ She's different. Innocent. Not like those skanks._

_Not like it matters anyway. She's an employee. You can't fuck her even if you wanted to._

"Whatever it was, she didn't look very happy," Alice continued.

"No," I agreed. "She didn't look happy."

_Maybe they'd had a fight?_

"I think I'm going to go check on her."

_Employee, Edward._

"Just to make sure she'd ok."

_You can't take advantage of her like that. _

"I've written up the contract. If you just read it and sign here while I check on Bella, and then Bella can sign it when she's dressed."

_Maybe I could put it off for a bit...fuck her first._

_No, that would be awkward. I'd scare her away._

_And she needed this job._

I sighed and signed on the line.

**BPOV**

I took my phone from Alice and glanced down. The text was from Angela, who I guess I'd call my best friend, even if she didn't really live up to the best friend specifications. She was also my ex co worker and next door neighbour.

**Banner says 2 days 2 pay rent or ur out. + Mike srsly pssed. he wants uniform bak.**

I muttered my excuse to Alice and Edward and fled the room.

_Two days? He wants his uniform back? _

I sighed and hit the reply button.

**Mike can go fuck himself. **

I jerked on the blouse and skirt angrily. I'd never missed rent before. I was just a little behind this month. Banner just hated me because I'd turned him down, the ass munch. And Mike had the fucking nerve to ask me for my uniform back? After he'd made me fucking buy it in the first place.

I hated that fucking job. And my fucking apartment.

I took a few deep breaths, trying to calm my anger.

"Bella? Are you ok?" Alice asked in a timid voice, peering round the door at me.

"Alice?" I asked, my voice shaking slightly with anger. "When can I move in?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Dear superb readers, **

**Thank you all for your reviews + story alerts + author alerts! Checking my email has never made me so happy.**

**Work starts again soon, so I'm trying to get out as many chapters as possible first.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. **

**Enjoy,**

**BPOV**

Today was the day. The day that I left my pathetic little life behind and moved on. Alice had dropped me off earlier in the day to 'get a head start on the packing' while she went to drag Emmett over to help. I had assured her that a van probably wouldn't be necessary, but she'd just laughed at trotted out the door.

Mr Banner had cornered me as soon as I'd opened the door to the apartment building.

"Where's your rent, Swan?" he had demanded, narrowing his eyes at me in pretence of a glare.

I sighed, shuffling away from his slightly. He reeked of smoke. I mean, I was a smoker, but how many did he have to get through to smell like _that?_

"I don't have it," I told him.

He deepened his 'glare', staring at me through eyes so squinted that I wondered if he could actually still see me. "I'll chuck you out, Missy. You won't be so snarky when you're out on the streets!"

_Snarky? What kind of a person uses the word 'snarky'? _"That won't be necessary, Mr Banner. I'm moving out."

"What?" he asked, surprise breaking through his bad-landlord-wants-his-money routine.

"I'm moving out," I repeated.

"Your lease isn't up until the end of the month! You can't leave."

"Well, you should tell my landlord that. He says he's going to evict me tomorrow." With that, I ducked around him and staggered up the stairs, ripping the eviction notice of the door as I ran inside.

And now, it had been an hour and a half since Alice had left me outside the apartment building with a handful of boxes and a roll of bin bags, and I was sitting patiently and waiting for her return. I'd filled up one of the bags with my clothes and shoes, and most of my possessions had fit in to the three boxes that Alice had provided. A few of my favourite books were piled up on the bedside table, along with a few other items that wouldn't fit in the boxes.

My phone rang, flashing Alice's name on the screen.

"Hey Alice," I greeted.

"Bella!" she chirped in to the phone. "We're here! Which apartment is yours?"

"I'll come and get you. Hold on."

"Great! See you in a minute!"

Mr Banner had disappeared again when I reached the entrance for which I was grateful. I don't think he would have been particularly happy with the white van that was now parked right outside the entrance.

"Bella!" Alice exclaimed as soon as she saw me, wrapping her arms around me. She stepped back to survey me. "We'll work on your outfits." She was dressed in cut off jeans and a strappy top, despite the fact that winter was fast coming in. I felt overdressed in my hoodie and joggers. "But there're some people I want you to meet."

She motioned for me to follow her around the back of the van. Sat between the open doors were two men talking and laughing together. They looked like complete opposites, apart from the fact that they were both very attractive.

"Bella, this is Emmett and Jasper," Alice said, pointing to each of the boys in turn. "Guys, this is Bella."

Emmett stood up and reached forward for my hand. He was huge – bigger than anyone I'd ever seen, and almost as wide. He would probably have been terrifying if he hadn't have been smiling widely. His dimples and curly hair gave his the look of a severely overgrown ten year old boy. "Nice to meet you, Bella. I'm Edwards publicist, so I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot of each other."

"Cool. It's a pleasure to meet you," I said, returning his handshake. His grip on my hand was strong.

Jasper elbowed him out of the way. "Don't crush her Em. Or at least let me greet her properly first." Emmett laughed and released my hand.

"Sorry about him Bella," Jasper said, holding out his hand too. His handshake was firm, but no where near the crushing grip of Emmett. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"You too." Jasper was leaner than Emmett, and although tall, only reached Emmett's shoulder. He had blonde shaggy hair, piercing bright blue eyes and an open smile that made him seem completely approachable.

"We've heard a lot about you Bells," Emmett told me. "It's nice to put a face to the name."

I felt the traitorous blush creep up my cheeks. Jasper elbowed Emmett in the side again. "Emmett. You're embarrassing her."

"Guuuuys," Alice whined, pushing herself between the two boys. Jasper's arms immediately wrapped around her and he pressed a kiss to the top of the head. "We need to get moving."

"Right. I'll show you up." Emmett and Jasper grabbed a few more boxes from the back of the van and we all trooped in through the entrance and I led them up towards my apartment. I let them in through the door and gestured for them to go inside. They stood just inside the door, looking around the tiny space. The apartment looked even smaller with the three of the crowded together.

"There's not too many boxes," I said to break the silence, gesturing at the pile I'd packed up earlier.

Jasper cleared his throat awkwardly. "Is that everything?"

I glanced around the bare room. "I think so. There's some stuff that didn't fit in on the bedside table there. But that's it."

"Jasper, honey, would you mind packing that extra stuff into a box? Emmett, you do a quick check of the cupboards. Bella and I'll go and check the bathroom," Alice said, grabbing my arm and tugging me in to the tiny room.

She shut the door behind her. "Oh, Bella, you live here?"

She was looking at me with a face filled with pity. I couldn't stand the pity look.

"Not anymore."

She smiled. "I'm so glad I met you Bella."

"Even after I broke Edward's glasses and threw red wine over his girlfriend?" I teased.

She looked at me in confusion. "His girlfriend?"

"Um, yeah. Tanya Denali?"

"Tanya is not his girlfriend," Alice said firmly. "She just wishes she was."

_Not his girlfriend? _"I just thought, since she was hanging all over him..."

"No. Definitely not," she stated. "You're much better for him, anyway."

_Um, what?_

"What?" I thought back to the look he'd given me when I'd dropped the glasses, and how he couldn't even look at me later that night. "I don't think Edward thinks of me like that."

"Bella. You're a beautiful, sweet, smart girl. What's not to love?" she said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world, and I was blind not to have seen it. "Now let's get the hell out of this place. It's time to start your new life."

_Time to start your new life._

I smiled. "Sounds like a plan."

I hid behind Emmett as we walked through the entrance with the boxes in case Mr Banner was lurking around, but I couldn't see him anywhere. He seemed amused by my actions, asking if we needed to put a bag over my head and smuggle me in to the van. I assured him it wouldn't be necessary and sent him to the landlord's office with my key as a punishment.

"Some creepy guy with long hair and smelt like an ashtray took it," he told me when he returned.

"Yeah, that sounds like Banner," I assured him.

"Great! Let's get this show on the road!" he said, pulling out in to the traffic. Alice sat on Jaspers lap the whole way back, leaving me the seat next to Emmett.

"So Bellarina, tell me about yourself," he said.

"Shouldn't you be focusing on the road?"

He threw me a look. "I'm trying to drown out the sounds of the happy couple. Work with me here."

"Can't you just turn on the radio?"

"Bellarina. I don't want to turn on the radio. Because no doubt there will be one of Edward's prissy songs on. And I hear enough of that shit when I'm working."

I bit back a laugh. "If I talk to you will you stop calling me Bellarina?"

"Deal," he agreed. "So, Bellybutton, what's your favourite type of pizza?"

"That's worse," I groaned.

He smirked. "Suck it up, Bellybutton."

"Whatever." I rolled my eyes. "What kind of question is that?"

"It's a simple getting-to-know-you question."

I rolled my eyes. Emmett was surprisingly easy to talk to. "Hawaiian."

"Hawaiian?" he repeated incredulously.

"Yeah, you know. Ham and pineapple."

He shook his head slowly. "Bellybutton. Why would you take something so tasty and unhealthy and ruin it with _fruit_? I have so much to teach you."

"I like pepperoni too. Is that allowable?" I smirked.

"That's just the start!" He sighed heavily. "I'd love to discuss pizza ethics with you some more, but we're here."


	6. Chapter 6

**Dear splendid readers, **

**I'm not a top selling recording artist...and I've never been to a recording studio...so I'm taking a little artistic licence.**

**Also, the lyrics probably suck, but just pretend they're awesome, m'kay?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. **

**Enjoy,**

**EPOV**

"We'll run it through one more time, Mr Cullen, and then I think we'll call it quits for today," Seth, the over-enthusiastic sound technician. He was young, fresh out of school, and apparently a very promising talent.

"It's Edward, Seth," I told him. "Mr Cullen makes me sound like I'm fifty for God's sake."

"Sorry, Edward," he said bashfully. "Do you mind running it through again?"

I suppressed a yawn. We'd run this song through three times already and it just wasn't sounding right. I was tired, too, not having slept very well under the knowledge that Bella would be moving in today and I wasn't there to greet her.

I slipped the headphones back on as Seth pressed a few buttons. The piano part we'd recorded early floated through to me. I took a deep breath, and started singing. "There are questions with no answers..."

"That was better Edward," Seth said as the last notes of the piano faded out.

I ran a hand through my hair. "It's still not there yet."

"We can pick it up next time," he said happily. "I can wrap this up now if you want to go."

"Thanks man."

Sam was waiting for me outside, although it was hardly necessary. The news of where I was recording hadn't been leaked yet, so the car park was empty as I made my way to the car. I'd stayed longer at the studio than usual working through the new song, and it had gotten dark outside.

"Thanks for waiting, Sam." He nodded once to me and returned his gaze forward. Sam was huge – the perfect bodyguard – and kept a professional distance at all time. He wasn't one to chat as we drove, so I spent the time thinking instead.

Alice had text me earlier to say they were going to get Bella, and that had been hours ago. She'd probably be there now. Maybe she'd be unpacking, or cooking dinner, or upstairs in her room, or taking a shower after being all sweaty...

_Mmm. Sweaty Bella._

"We're her, Sir," Sam said, coming to a stop in front of the house. I'd been so lost in my thoughts that I hadn't even noticed the short drive home.

"Thanks, Sam," I said sliding out of the car. It was almost nine.

"Will you be needing anything else today, Sir?" Sam asked.

"No thanks, Sam."

"Ok, Mr Cullen. I'll pick you up at ten tomorrow?"

I smiled. "Yeah, that'd be great."

He nodded once more and I shut the door. I felt a strange surge of nervousness in my stomach.

_Pull yourself together Cullen. You haven't had nerves over a girl since you were seventeen. _

If she was up in her room, should I go up and say hello? Should I wait for her to come down? Maybe she just wanted privacy?

I sighed, and pushed open the door.

What I didn't expect was to here a roar of noise coming from inside. It sounded like people were yelling at each other. What the hell was happening? I followed the sound to the front room and felt my mouth fall open at the sight.

Alice was sat on Jasper's lap with her arms around his neck. Her whole body was shaking as they both laughed hysterically. The other sofa had been pulled around so that it was at a right angle to where Jasper and Alice sat. Emmett was sat on the edge of the seat, a piece of pizza in one hand, and the other waving around in the air. Bella stood at the front of the room. She had a board behind that she'd drawn on. She waved her pen around in wild gestures occasionally jabbing it in the direction of Emmett while the other hand repeatedly tapped at the board.

"Emmett! You are so crap at this!" she yelled at him. "Just guess the goddamn word!"

"Er, er whale! That's meant to be the sea right?"

"Yes! We've already got that far! You're guessing a _person_." she whined. "Emmy-Bear!"

"Bellybutton! It's _haaard_,_" _Emmett complained back.

_Emmy-Bear? Bellybutton? How long had these guys known each other? _

I stepped further in to the room. Two mostly-empty pizza boxes lay open on the table. Two empty bottles of wine and a few beer cans were also scattered on the table.

"Times up, guys," Jasper called. "Suck it."

Bella pouted. It was possibly the most adorable thing in the world. "No fair! Emmett's poo at this game!"

"Bellybutton! You're poo! That's just a blob!" Emmett complained.

I cleared my throat. Four heads whipped around. "Well, that's clearly a boat. And it's sinking. So I'm guessing it's the Titanic? But the arrow is pointing at the raft next to the boat. So if you're looking for a person...I'm guessing its Leonardo DiCaprio or Kate Winslet."

They looked at me in stunned silence. And then Bella threw the pen at Emmett.

"Emmy-Bear! Edward got it in like two seconds!"

The pen hit him on the shoulder. "Bellybutton. That wasn't nice."

She stuck her tongue out at him and leaned towards Alice. "Alice!" she stage-whispered. "I think I should swap Emmett for Edward."

Alice giggled. "You think?"

"Yeah, he's much better at Pictionary," she continued. "And he's cute too."

My stomach flip flopped. _She thinks I'm cute._ Jasper shot me a look over Alice's head.

"Maybe you should ask him if he wants to be on your team," Jasper suggested.

Bella nodded her head enthusiastically. "That's a good idea Jasper! I'll go ask him now." She stood up, wobbling slightly and crossed the room towards me carefully.

My heart seemed to beat faster as she approached, like my chest was a detector zoned in on her. Her hair was pulled up, but sometime during the day pieces of hair had fallen down to frame her face. Her eyes were framed darkly and her lipstick was a little smudged. She stood in front of me, and rested her hand on my arm, standing on her tiptoes to lean close to my ear. I was assaulted by the smell of strawberries and red wine. She was drunk. It swirled around my head, making me feel dizzy.

I took a deep breath to calm myself, but it only made it worse.

"Edward," Bella said quietly to me. Her breath tickled my ear lightly. "Will you be on my team?" She dropped back on to her feet, looking up at me from underneath her lashes and biting her lip in a way that was entirely too sexy for my self restraint.

I clenched my fists by my side, resisting the urge to grab her face and pull it to mine. "Sure, Bella, I'll be on your team."

"Yay!" she squealed, smiling widely. "But don't tell Emmy-Bear, ok?"

I felt my own smile creeping on to my face. "Ok. I won't tell Emmett."

"You're the best! Now let's go beat that pixie's arse!" She dropped her voice and added, "She guesses them before he's even drawn them! I think she's psychic."

Jasper shot me an amused look again. I smirked at him. "I'm sure we can beat them."

"Yes! Yes we can!" She meandered back around the table to the front of the board. "Emmy-Bear, give your seat to Edward."

Emmett looked confused. "But this is _my _seat."

"That is my team mate's seat," she declared. "Edward is my team mate."

"Oh. My mistake," Emmett said. "I need 'nother beer anyways." He stood up unsteadily and edged between the table and sofa.

Bella turned towards me. "Edward." She pointed towards Emmett's recently vacated seat. "Sit."

**BPOV**

Unpacking hadn't taken any time at all. Alice insisted on organising my closet for me, tutting over everything she came across. Jasper and Emmett had bought the boxes upstairs and then disappeared back downstairs, claiming that there was a game on that they were just _dying _to watch.

"I've done this bag Bella," Alice called from the closet. "Where are the others?"

I looked up from where I was stacking books. "There's only the one bag."

"What?" She appeared from the closet with her hands on her hips. "That's it?"

"Um, yeah?"

"We have _got _to go shopping, girl. How do you survive with only five pairs of shoes?"

I laughed. "Not going anywhere helps."

"Well, that's going to change, so we need to go shopping." She sat down on the bed. "What else needs unpacked?"

I glanced around. "That box just needs put in the cupboard, and I that's it."

She picked up the last box. "What's in it?"

"Nothing," I said quickly. Too quickly. "Just, um, sentimental stuff, you know?"

"Aww, can I see?"

I piled up the books that wouldn't fit on the shelf and slid them next to the bedside table. "Maybe some other time."

"Sure," she agreed. "Shall we go see what the lads are up to?"

"Lead the way."

"What you watching, Emmett?" I asked, plonking down on the incredibly comfortable sofa next to him.

"The game," he replied. "You probably wouldn't like it."

I raised my eyebrow. "Oh really? Who's playing?"

"The – er- you know, the Bears."

"The Bears, huh?" I asked. "So why were you shouting – and I quote – 'My God man, buy a vowel'?"

He tensed. "Fine! I'm watching Wheel of Fortune!"

"Oh goodie!" I smiled at him. "I love Wheel of Fortune."

"You're a gudden Bellybutton."

I sighed. "Stop calling me Bellybutton."

"You love it, really."

"I really don't!"

He smirked. "You'll learn to."

"Well, if you're gonna call me Bellybutton, I'm gonna call you..." I searched my name for an appropriately embarrassing name. "Emmy-Bear!"

I'm not quite sure how the rest of the evening happened. We ordered pizza – Emmett winking at me as he ordered a Hawaiian and pepperoni – and Alice filled our glasses up with red wine. She then insisted that we needed some bonding time and the only way to properly bond was through a game. And so the game of Pictionary began.

I had, for some reason, been teamed up with Emmett despite my idea of Girls vs. Boys. My level of the wine bottles had slowly decreased throughout the night, even though Jasper and Emmett had now moved on to beers instead of 'that girly wine shit'. So now, I had a nice little buzz going. I felt light and happy – very, very happy.

I'd been shouting at Emmett over his complete and utter blindness when it came to my drawing when Edward walked in. And he looked _great_. His black t-shirt fit snugly over his chest, hinting at the muscles that lay underneath it. He'd paired it with a pair of dark jeans that hung lowly on his hips, showing off his hipbones in the most delicious way.

And he could interpret my drunken drawings.

I threw the pen at Emmett. "Emmy-Bear," I whined. "Edward got it in like two seconds!"

"Bellybutton! That wasn't nice."

I ignored him, turning to whisper to Alice and Jasper instead. When they suggested I ask Edward to be on my team, it seemed like the greatest freaking idea ever.

I may have been flirting with him a little as I asked him to join my team.

Ok, I was flirting.

But he didn't seem to care as he agreed to join my team and sat down in Emmett's seat, looking at me patiently.

"Actually, I think it's our turn," Jasper said. "I'm drawing."

He picked up the pen from where it had bounced off Emmett's shoulder and cleared the board we'd pulled in for the occasion.

"Fine," I mumbled, plucking the egg timer off the table. "And...GO!"

As they started, I sat down next to Edward on the sofa. He smelled slightly of sweat, and musk and something I couldn't identify and could only describe as wonderful. I breathed the combination in greedily.

"Are you smelling me?" he murmured.

_Damn. Busted. _"No. Mm just a bit tired." I rested my head on his shoulder. My eyes drooped of their own accord.

"Do you want to go to bed?" he asked softly.

I shook my head. "No. Playing Pictionary, silly."

He chuckled. "Ok then, Bella. We'll play Pictionary."

"Kay." I said. My eyes felt heavy, so I closed them. Jasper and Alice's voices blended together and became lower, further away, until they weren't there at all.


	7. Chapter 7

**Dear splendid readers, **

**I'm not a top selling recording artist...and I've never been to a recording studio...so I'm taking a little artistic licence.**

**Also, the lyrics probably suck, but just pretend they're awesome, m'kay?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. **

**Enjoy,**

**EPOV**

Bella's breath on my shoulder became slow and even, and I knew she was asleep. It was only just after nine, but with the three empty wine bottles I'd spotted lying around, I was surprised she'd lasted this long.

"I'm gonna take Bella up to bed," I announced.

"Ok man," he said. "I think we've whooped their asses enough for one night anyway."

I chuckled, brushing Bella's hair away from her face. "I'm sorry I missed it."

"We'll have a rematch soon," he promised. "Bella's a lot of fun."

"Yeah," Emmett added, re-entering the room with a beer can in his hand. "Bellybutton's a riot."

I shifted in my seat, so that I could scoop her up properly. She didn't wake, just nuzzled her head in to my chest. She weighed hardly anything in my arms. And felt so right.

_Why do you keep noticing stuff like that, Cullen?_

_Because it's so obvious._

I walked slowly, careful not to jolt her as I walked up the stairs, but her eyes remained closed until I slipped her in to bed.

"Goodnight, Bella," I said softly.

**BPOV**

My head was pounding. I felt like a hedgehog had climbed in through my ear, and was now doing rolly-pollies around my head.

_Ughh. I am never drinking again._

I cracked my eyes open.

_Ugh. Brightness._

I closed them again.

_I need to pee. And then possibly saw my head off._

I opened my eyes again and turned to the side. The time on the clock flashed at me: 9:08.

_Too early. Way too early._

_...But God, I need to pee._

Reluctantly, I dragged myself to the edge of the bed and slipped out and stumbled towards the toilet. I was still dressed in my moving day clothes, meaning I hadn't gotten changed last night.

Had I been that drunk? Or had I fallen asleep?

I'd ponder it more when I'd found some drugs to get rid of the pounding in my head. And some water. The kitchen seemed like a good place to start, so I trudged that way.

"Good morning, Bella." Edward was sat in the same place I'd seen him that first morning, looking impeccable as usual.

_God, how can he look so good in the morning?_

"'Morning," I returned, taking the seat opposite him.

_When had I started admitting to myself that he looked good?_

_Hmm, _my other side said, _when he took you in and offered you a job?_

"These're for you," he said, pushing a glass of water and some pills towards me, which I gladly swallowed down.

"Oh God, thank you. My head feels like there's an acupuncturist trapped in there."

He chuckled. "That's probably the best hangover metaphor I've heard."

I took another sip of the water to get the cotton bud feeling from my mouth. "Um, thanks?"

"I've got to get to the studio by ten. Will you be alright on your own for a few hours?"

"Oh crap! Do you need breakfast before you go? I was gonna make French toast – crap, there's not really enough time. I could whip you up some eggs?" I had completely forgotten about my cooking duties in the midst of the worst hangover I'd ever had.

He looked amused at my outburst. "Don't worry, Bella. I grabbed something earlier. You can go back to bed if you want. You look tired."

Bed sounded like a really good idea, but I was going to have to get my act together on the cleaning side of things. "It's ok. Um, is there anything that you need me to do today?"

He ran a hand through his hair. "Mrs Cope usually did the cleaning on a Saturday, since that's usually my busiest day. I should be back by around two today. So no need to worry about lunch either."

"You'll be home for dinner, then?"

He nodded. "I should be. I'll call if I'm going to be horrendously late."

I'd make something for dinner then. "Thanks." The doorbell rang. "I'll get it."

I hurried to the doorway, eager to be useful. A tall man with russet skin and short cropped hair stood at the door. He could rival Emmett for size, but where Emmett had his boyish smile, this man's expression was unreadable.

"Can I help you?" I asked, trying to sound professional and not intimidated.

"I'm here to pick up Mr Cullen," he said in a deep, even tone.

Edward appeared behind me. "Sam, this is Bella. Bella, this is Sam, my bodyguard."

"Oh!" I said in surprise. I'd never really thought about Edward needing a bodyguard. He seemed so...normal every time I'd seen him.

_Not the arrogant son of a bitch you'd thought he'd be _my mind nagged me.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Sam," I said carefully. It made sense that he'd be a body guard. I couldn't imagine a man this huge in any other profession.

Sam merely nodded. "Are you ready to go Mr Cullen?"

"Yeah, let's hit the road. See you later, Bella." He smiled at me, before following Sam to a large silver car with tinted windows. He waved at me once, where I stood in the doorway, before they pulled away smoothly.

_Better get on with my job,_ I thought.

The house was immaculate. The only rooms that showed any signs of being used were the room off the kitchen, where my glass still sat on the table, and our bedroom. Even the front room, which yesterday had been littered with wine bottles and pizza boxes, was now spotless. Not to be deterred, I'd made the beds in the bedrooms, emptied the bin and washed and put away my glass, leaving me nothing else to do.

It was half ten, giving me seven and a half hours to plan dinner. I wanted to do something to impress Edward, to show him that I was capable of this job, but I had no idea what he'd like.

I punched a number in to my phone. She picked up on the third ring.

"Hello?"

"Alice? What's Edward's favourite meal?"

**EPOV**

At half past two, Sam dropped me in front of the house. When I opened the door, I was immediately assaulted by an army of smells.

"Bella?" I called out, following the aromas to the kitchen.

"Yeah?" she called back. "I'm in the kitchen."

She stood with her back to the door, stirring something on the stove. She'd changed her clothes and was now wearing a pair of shape-hugging jeans and a t-shirt. Her hair had been pulled up in to a haphazard bun on top of her head.

"What cha cooking?"

She turned to smile at me over her shoulder before beckoning me forward. I obliged, leaning over her shoulder to see the food. The smell of strawberries hit me again. I wondered if it was her perfume. It suit her perfectly – sweet, innocent and carefree.

"I thought we'd have some spaghetti and meatballs, with some of my homemade sauce," she told me happily.

I smiled back. "That just happens to be my favourite meal."

"Go sit," she ordered. "It'll be done in a second."

I retreated back in to the next room, settling down in the place that would allow me to continue watching Bella in the kitchen. She moved happily and confidently around the kitchen, lost in her own little world, humming to herself as she set things on plates and moved items around.

"Here we go," she said, setting down a plate of spaghetti and meatballs in front of me and a plate of garlic bread in the middle of the table. "Do you, um, mind if I eat with you?"

I glanced up at her. She looked nervous. Was she expecting me to turn her away, to make her eat in the kitchen on her own?

"Don't be silly, Bella. I'd love your company." She looked relieved and hurried to get her own plate before sitting opposite me.

I twirled a piece of spaghetti around my fork and took a bite. I almost moaned. It was the best sauce I'd ever tasted. "God Bella, this is delicious!"

"Thank you," she said shyly.

The conversation was light and easy. She asked me about my day, and listened curiously as I told her the ins and outs of recording.

"I'm sure it'll come," she assured me after I'd told her about the current project.

I smiled. She was incredibly easy to talk to. "I know. I just wish it'd come quicker."

"It must be amazing to be a part of it."

"I count myself as one of the lucky few. I'm doing something I love every day and getting paid for it."

She pushed a piece of pasta around her plate. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I don't think of you as being famous."

"Not famous enough for you?" I teased. "How many number ones do I need to get first?"

"No, not like that. It's just – you seem, normal."

"I am normal."

She blushed, keeping her eyes on her food. "I just imagined you'd be, arrogant, cocky. But you're not," she said timidly. "You're actually really nice."

_She thought I was really nice. And cute. _

"Thanks, Bella. I think you're really nice too."

She glanced up at me, and I couldn't help myself – I grinned.

_She liked me._

There was something about this girl that turned me in to a teenager again.


	8. Chapter 8

**Dear spectacular readers, **

**I forgot to alter my author note last chapter. I'm sorry about that. _**

**I want to give you a big super thanks again for all the reviews and alerts. You rock.**

**In case there is any confusion, italics are flashbacks and thoughts. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. **

**Enjoy,**

**EPOV**

The first two weeks passed extremely quickly. Edward was out at the studio a lot, meaning that we mostly only had one meal a day together. We talked easily, teasing each other, laughing with each other, throwing questions back and forth.

I'd found out that he could play the piano, the guitar, and the harmonica. He had a scar on his elbow from where he fell off his bike when he was twelve. He could speak a little bit of German, but that was as far as his language skills went. He'd visited England twice before, but never had the chance to look around. He didn't understand the fascination with reality TV shows. He'd watched every James Bond film ever made, but had never seen Notting Hill.

He was smart, funny and incredibly sweet.

I'd usually find him in his music room, which was my favourite room in the house. A large piano was positioned at one end of the room, facing the fireplace. It was the only fireplace that I'd seen used -despite the fact that I knew there were at least four in the house. A few other instruments were in the corner of the room. There was a sofa pushed up against one of the walls that was mounted with pillows and blankets. My favourite part of the room, however, was the far wall. It was covered in books – more books than I'd seen outside of a library – ranging from classics, to cult fiction, to the top bestsellers in the last year. They had seemingly no order to them, but were stacked randomly in the shelves. He'd told me that he was a sucker for old bookshops, and although he hardly ever had time to read anymore, he'd still occasionally sneak in to a second hand store to browse the shelves and buy anything that caught his eye.

"_Have you read all of these?" I'd asked him, running my hand over the titles. _

_He was sat at his piano, as usual, watching me as I examined the books. "No. A quarter of them maybe."_

"_Where did you even get this amount of books?" _

"_There's some great book stores round here if you know where to look. Maybe I'll take you to one when all this album crap is finished with."_

_I smiled, thinking of the possibilities of roaming back streets in search of bookstores with Edward. "Don't worry. I've got more than enough to keep me occupied."_

"Edward? You busy?" I asked, peeking round the corner of the doorway.

He looked up from his place at the piano, his hand stilling over the paper in front of him. He smiled. "Give me two seconds."

"I can come back."

He shook his head. "Two seconds."

Over the last two weeks, we'd fallen in to an easy routine. Every Sunday, I would look over the schedule that Alice emailed me on one of the laptops and plan out the meals he would be home for. We'd then look over it together making sure that a) he liked whatever I was cooking and b) he knew what he was doing that week.

As I waited for him to finish whatever he was doing, I thought back to the first time I'd come to talk to him, on my second day.

_I knocked on the door to the room, and after hearing a 'Come in' from inside, pushed the door and stepped in. He had been sat at the piano bench, staring in to space. _

"_Mr. Cullen?" I asked tentatively._

_He turned to look at me, raising an eyebrow. "Did you just call me Mr. Cullen?" _

_I blushed. "Um, yeah. I just thought – Sam calls you Mr. Cullen, so maybe you'd prefer it if I did?" _

"_Don't call me Mr. Cullen," he said stiffly. "Would you rather be Ms. Swan?"_

"_Um, no. Bella is fine." _

"_Great. Bella and Edward it is." He ran a hand through his hair. "What can I do for you?"_

_I shook my head slightly to remove all the swarm of thoughts about what he could do for me. My mind was in the gutter. "I was just wondering if you wanted to look at the meal plan." I waved the piece of paper to emphasise the point. "I can come back if you're busy?"_

"_No, it's fine. Come and sit down." He patted the bench next to him, sliding over to make room for me. "I want to see what other wonders you've got planned."_

"_I don't know about wonders, but I do have some French toast planned for you that I've been told is very special."_

_He laughed, and I smiled at him. "I'll look forward to it."_

"Alright. What have we got planned this week?" Edward asked, bringing me out of the memory. "Any of your famous French toast this week?"

"All your activities are pretty early this week. I don't think we'll have time for any French toast."

He frowned. "I thought I wasn't doing anything on Thursday?"

"You're flying over to LA on Thursday," I informed him, consulting his week plan. "You've got a CD signing."

He ran his hand through his hair. "No. That's not for two weeks."

"They moved it forward. You're getting picked up at nine on Thursday. It's a two day signing, and then you've got a public appearance in the evening."

"When am I getting back?"

"Saturday, around midday. Your photo shoot for the album covers been pushed back to next week."

He groaned. "Why does Emmett never tell me these things?"

"Because he's not as good at his job as I am?" I teased.

"You're right. That's probably it."

"What would you do without me?"

He smiled widely at me. "God knows, Bella."

The simple comment made my heart soar.

**EPOV**

"Edward, can I come over for lunch?" Alice said by way of greeting as I answered the phone.

"Yeah, sure. Do you want to go out or what?"

"Oh, no. We can just stay in. That's fine."

I glanced at clock. 11:53. "Alright. What time are you coming?"

"Well," she said slowly. "How about right now? I'm outside."

I rolled my eyes, despite the fact she couldn't see me. "What if I had been busy?"

The door opened behind me and Alice danced in to the room. "Well, I would have talked to Bella." She slid her phone shut and dropped gracefully in to the seat opposite me.

"Good luck with that. Bella's out shopping."

Her eyes lit up. "Perfect!"

"What's perfect?" I asked suspiciously.

"Well, it's been two weeks now, so I thought we'd have a little chat. How're you getting on?"

"With Bella? Er – great. She's a great cook and er, keeps the house clean."

"What's with the little smirk?"

I tried to suppress my smile. "What smirk?"

"That smirky smirk that's all over your smirky face."

"It's nothing," I said. "It's just..."

"Just?" she prompted.

I grinned at her. "Bella listens to my music."

"_Bella? Bella, you home?" I called, shutting the front door behind me._

_No answer. _

"_Bella?" I called again, moving through the house towards the music room, figuring that's where she'd probably be. _

_I paused outside the door. It sounded like she was talking to someone. The door had been left open a crack. "Bella?"_

_Bella was standing at the far end of the room in cut off jeans and a t shirt, with a jacket tied around her waist. She held a duster in one hand and she twirled around the room, dusting everything in reach. Headphones hung out of her ears with a faint thumping coming from them, which explained why she hadn't heard me calling._

"_We've all got our reasons to rebel, we've all got stories we'll never tell," she sang, swaying her hips from side to side in time with the music. "But girl, I need somebody to dance with, so take my hand, I'll show you how to live!"_

_I followed the swing of her hips with my eyes. It was hypnotic._

_Wait. Those are _my _lyrics._

_She twirled around again, holding the duster out as she spun in a circle. _

_Bella Swan is singing and dancing to _my_ lyrics._

_She came to a sudden stop as she saw me in the doorway. "Edward!" she shrieked, ripping the headphones out of her ears. "You scared the crap out of me!"_

_I was having trouble hiding my smile. "What you listening to Bella?"_

_She blushed beautifully. "Nothing."_

"_Really?" I said, stepping in to the room. "Didn't sound like nothing." She didn't answer. "Sounded kinda like it was me."_

_She scowled. "It's no big deal, Edward. Lots of people listen to your music."_

"_I know," I said. "And you're one of them."_

"_God, don't let it go to your head, superstar. And stop grinning at me!" She rolled her eyes. "I'm going to start dinner." _

_She dodged round me and headed for the doorway._

"_I'll give you a signed copy of the new album!" I called after her._

"You like her, don't you?" Alice asked, pulling me out of the memory.

"Of course I like her."

"That's not what I meant. You _like _like her."

I sighed. There was no point denying it. "Yes, I like her."

"I knew it!" Alice squealed. "So are you going to ask her out?"

_Make a move on her? She was so sweet, and funny, and smart, and beautiful, and..._"I don't think so."

"I just – She's different, you know? She's not like anyone I've ever been with." I ran my hand through my hair.

"You mean she's not a skank?"

"Alice. Don't call them skanks."

"Whatever. You're right. Bella's not like your other _lady friends_. She's better. Better for you."

"I don't want to mess it up."

"So don't."

"It's not that simple, Alice. I don't think I'm she should be with someone like me."

_She deserved someone who had a clean history. Not riddled with drugs and meaningless sex._

She smiled sympathetically. "I know Edward. But I also know you look happier than you have in a long time. And you haven't bought any of those girls home since you met her."

_It was true. I hadn't so much as looked at another girl since Bella had arrived. And did I really look happier? _

"Edward, I'm a strong believer that some things find you when you need them." She smiled again, patted my arm once and stood up. "Just trust me on this, ok?"


	9. Chapter 9

**Dear brilliant readers, **

**Longish chapter to make up for the fact that I may miss tomorrow or the day afters post. I'll try to be back soon, promise.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. **

**Enjoy,**

**EPOV**

I was tired. More than tired. Exhausted. The silence seemed to hum around me after all the screaming that surrounded me. I walked straight in to the room and collapsed on the bed, not bothering to take in my surroundings. I knew what it would be like anyway. It was the same as the thousand other hotel rooms that I had been on. Clean. Tidy. Beige. And worse of all, empty.

My thoughts drifted to Bella.

Every spare moment I'd had that day, Bella had filled my mind. I hadn't gotten to see her before I left, not wanting to wake her. But now, I was missing her already.

I pulled myself up off the bed and shuffled over to the small suitcase that Bella had packed for me and pulled out a t-shirt to sleep in. The faint scent of strawberries clung to it.

I thought about calling her, just to hear her voice.

I hit the light and scrambled back in to bed, closed my eyes, and waited for sleep to overtake me. It was no use – Bella danced through my mind's eye. With her smell around me and the image of her brown eyes so clearly in my mind, it was almost as if she was there with me. If I could just hear her voice...

I reached for my phone and dialled the number before I could talk myself out of it.

"Hello?" she answered, sounding slightly out of breath.

I smiled, immediately at ease. "Bella."

"Edward," she said, and I heard the smile in her voice. "How are you? How was the signing?"

"Tired," I answered truthfully. "It was ok. Just slightly overwhelming."

She laughed. "Being fawned over by hundred of girls must be so exhausting."

"You have no idea. Those girls can get vicious."

"I'll bet," she answered. "And how did the performance go?"

"It was ok, I guess. They overran with the signing, so I only did the two songs."

"Oh, cool." We were quiet for a moment as I listened to her breathing over the line. Then she said, "Did you need me to check anything?"

My eyelids were closing of their own accord. "Huh?"

"Did you need me to do anything for the house? Is that what you were calling for?"

"Oh, um, no." _Crap. Why was I calling? Did 'I couldn't get to sleep without hearing your voice' sound too creepy? _"I just wanted to see if everything was alright."

"Oh, ok," she said with a hint of something that sounded like disappointment in her voice. "You sound tired. You should go to bed."

"No, its ok," I said, trying to force my eyes open. "I can talk."

"Alright then. What do you want to talk about?"

"I don't know. Tell me about your day."

I listened to her while she chattered about how Alice had dragged her out shopping. I was glad Alice was there to keep her company. I knew from experience that the house was too big for one person.

"...but at least I have clothes to wear for dinner now," she concluded as I lay back on the bed.

"Which dinner would this be?"

"You know," she said. "The one we're having to celebrate you finishing up your album?"

"Oh." I tried to stifle my yawn unsuccessfully. "I didn't know about this."

Her giggle sounded warm and comforting in my ear as it came across the line. "Edward. Go to sleep."

"No, no. Tell me about the party."

"Alice organised it. I thought she would have invited the guest of honour. We're going to some Italian restaurant called..."

I never did here which restaurant we were going to, or the rest of the plans. My eyes shut again of their own accord as Bella's voice lulled me to sleep, and I didn't open them again until the light was streaming through the windows of my hotel room with the phone still clutched in my hand.

**BPOV**

I pulled the pillow over my head and tried to will myself to fall asleep. I hadn't slept well. I just couldn't switch my mind off. I could hear the sounds of Edward getting ready in the next room, but I couldn't bring myself to leave the room. Maybe I should just stay in bed, and not get up until he came back. I couldn't even bare the thought of seeing him off. I don't think I could say goodbye to him.

Edward moved downstairs, and I heard the doorbell ring. I buried my head deeper, resisting the urge to run downstairs and tell him not to go.

_And why don't I want him to go?_

Because he was sweet, and caring, and smart, and funny, and ridiculously attractive. Because I was going to miss him.

_Because I had feelings for him._

I sighed heavily and threw off the pillow. It hit the floor with a soft thud. Outside, there was the sound of car tires on gravel as Sam pulled away. Having no reason to stay in bed, I dragged myself in to the shower and tried not to think about Edward.

I've never understood the phrase 'deafening silence' before, but the house seemed to mock me with its emptiness. Everything was so _quiet_.

Which is why I jumped out of my skin when the door crashed open and Alice came barrelling in. Looking at her, it would have seemed impossible that 'crashed' and 'barrelled' could apply to the tiny doll-like girl, but Alice flew through the room like a tornado.

"Bellaaa! Get out of your moping clothes and get dressed properly!" she ordered. "We're going shopping!"

I picked up the teabag that I'd thrown across the counter in my fright and dumped it in to my cup. "Morning Alice."

"Good morning! Now go get dressed."

"Can I have my tea first? I've just gotten up."

She surveyed my face. "You didn't sleep well. I bet you've been up since six."

"Five, actually," I corrected, sticking my tongue out at her.

"That's not making you look any better, honey. Now take your granny drink and trot along."

I sighed and dumped by teabag in the bin on the way out of the room. I'd learnt not to argue with Alice.

When I returned fifteen minutes later in what was deemed an appropriate outfit, Alice shooed me out the door and in to the car she had waiting.

"I don't know why you need such a conspicuous car," I grumbled, climbing in to the canary yellow Porsche. "Can't you just have a normal car?"

"It was a present from Edward." She shot me a sideways glance. "And speaking of Edward, are you in love with him?"

"What? No!"

She rolled her eyes. "You can't hide anything from me, Bella. You're a terrible liar."

"I'm not lying!" I said indignantly.

"But you like him right? You'd go out with him?"

I blushed. "I guess."

"So why don't you ask him out?"

"Because I don't think that would be appropriate."

"Why not?"

"Well, firstly, its women don't generally ask men out –"

"I asked Jasper out," she interjected. "It's not that hard."

"And secondly, because he's my employer."

"Don't give me that Bella. You guys have so much more than just a _business _relationship going on. The sexual tension in that house is so thick I'm surprised you don't choke on it."

"That's ridiculous."

She smirked at me.

"It doesn't matter anyway," I defended. "Edward's not gonna ask me out anytime soon."

"You're probably right," she agreed. "But no worries. I'll get on that."

I groaned, hitting my head against the head rest. "I don't want pity dates Alice. Please don't get involved."

"Speaking of dates, I'm planning a little celebration for Edward finishing his album..."

The rest of the journey to the shopping centre was filled with chatter of plans for the celebration. When we arrived, Alice insisted on dragging me to almost every shop in search of 'the perfect outfit'. After four hours, she finally found what she was looking for and added it to the other pile of bags that she'd managed to find for me during our trip.

I had to admit, Alice knew her stuff. She'd picked out a midnight blue dress for me that hugged my curves. It was a halter dress that tied in a small bow behind my neck. It fell just below my knees, and a sprinkle of tiny crystals littered the edges, catching the light when I walked. It was simple, but cute.

I turned down her offer to stay longer, insisting that I was fine, so with a promise to call her if I needed her, Alice left me at the door with my bags claiming that we'd go out on a 'proper' shopping trip soon. I waved her off before trudging upstairs to unpack my new clothing.

Once my closet was sufficiently full and the bags were empty, and returned back down stairs for dinner. Opting to heat up some left over lasagne, I ate quickly. Dinner was usually my favourite time of the day – but that's because I could sit down and talk with Edward. Today, it just made me feel lonelier.

Needing a distraction, I grabbed a duster and headed to the front room. I put in one of Edward's CDs that I had found hidden behind the stereo speaker and turned up the volume. I swung my hips to the fast beat of the song while I danced around the room, Edward's voice rising and falling around me.

I was so busy dancing to the music that I almost missed the sound of the phone ringing. I dropped my duster and raced across the room to pick it up.

_Please be Edward, please be Edward, please be Edward._

"Hello?"

"Bella," Edward said, his voice like warm honey against my ear.

"Edward! How are you? How was the signing?" I couldn't keep the smile off my face at the sound of him

"Tired," he answered. "It was ok. Just slightly overwhelming."

"Being fawned over by hundred of girls must be so exhausting," I teased.

"You have no idea. Those girls can get vicious."

"I'll bet." I knew exactly what it was like to want to get close to Edward Cullen. "And how did the performance go?"

"It was ok, I guess. They overran with the signing, so I only did the two songs."

"Oh, cool."

He didn't reply, and I found myself wondering why he was calling. Was he missing me as much as I was missing him?

"Did you need me to check anything?" I blurted before I could stop myself.

"Huh?" he asked sleepily.

"Did you need me to do anything for the house? Is that what you were calling for?"

"Oh, um, no. I just wanted to see if everything was alright."

_Just checking on the house. Not checking on you._

"Oh, ok," I replied, trying to keep the disappointment out of my voice. "You sound tired. You should go to bed."

"No, its ok. I can talk."

I resisted the urge to tell him I'd missed him.

"Alright then. What do you want to talk about?"

"I don't know," he said. "Tell me about your day."

"Well your darling sister dragged me out shopping this morning. We were at it for _five hours. _No normal person should shop for that long. We went to basically every shop in existence, and she insisted I buy everything. It was torture. But at least I have clothes to wear for dinner now."

I heard the sound of him moving something around. "Which dinner would this be?"

"You know," I said, stalling. _Was it meant to be a surprise? _ "The one we're having to celebrate you finishing up your album?"

_Crap, crap, crap._ "I didn't know about this." There was a rush of static through the line as he yawned.

I couldn't help but laugh. "Edward. Go to sleep."

"No, no," he said through another yawn. "Tell me about the party."

_Well, there was no turning back now. _"Alice organised it. I thought she would have invited the guest of honour. We're going to some Italian restaurant called La Bella Italia, which is apparently awesome and makes the best spaghetti and meatballs in all of town."

He didn't respond as I babbled on about the plans Alice had told me, and soon his breathing turned deep and even. He must have fallen asleep.

"Sweet dreams, Edward," I said in to the phone, wondering if he could subconsciously hear me. "I miss you."

I listened to his breathing for a few more minutes before I cut off the call and returned it to its cradle. Then, I turned off all the lights and headed to bed myself, playing Edward's voice in my head like a lullaby.


	10. Chapter 10

**Dear dazzling readers, **

**I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

**...I have nothing else to say. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. **

**Enjoy,**

**BPOV**

The next day was just as bad, if not worse. I tossed and turned all night before giving up on trying to sleep and wandered around the house, waiting for tiredness to hit me. I found myself in the music room, skimming my fingers over the book titles. I hovered over one I hadn't seen before, a brown leather bound book that was tucked at the end of the bookcase. I pulled it out and sat down in one of the chairs. There was no name on the front of the book. The pages had a yellowed look, as if the book had been read a lot over the years.

The first page was blank as I opened it, but the second one had three words in large cursive writing. The first word proclaimed it was 'Songs' and then smaller, further down the page: 'Edward Cullen'. I turned the page.

The first song was one that I didn't recognise, or the second one. In the third one, however, there were two lines that were underlined that I recognised.

_A ghost of you in our old bedroom_

_With the lingering scent of your perfume._

I wrapped a blanket around me tightly as I flicked slowly through Edward's old songs, smiling to myself.

When I woke up, I was wrapped up in a midnight blue cover and the light was creeping across the floor. I opened my eyes reluctantly. I'd been having the best dream. I untangled myself and made my way downstairs, pausing to dump some coffee in to a cup before heading to the music room.

"Are we out of tea?"

I spun round, my heart in my mouth.

"Edward," I breathed in relief.

**EPOV**

She didn't notice me as she trudged in to the kitchen and filled her cup with coffee. Which was unusual, considering that she swore by tea.

"Are we out of tea?" I asked.

She turned around so quickly I thought she'd fall over. Her eyes were wide, her mouth slightly open and she looked adorable, even with coffee splashed over her pyjamas.

"Edward!" she said, her hand flying to cover her heart. Her cheeks were flushed.

She was beautiful.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

She slowly lowered her hand, turning to refill her cup. "It's ok. I just wasn't expecting you back until later."

"They moved me to a red eye flight. I got back at about four this morning."

_I didn't want to disturb her as I came in this morning, but I couldn't resist checking on her. I opened the door as quietly as I could – but a loud creak blew my cover. My heart sped up as I paused in the doorway. How was I going to explain standing in her doorway at four o'clock in the morning? I got the wrong door? No, that wasn't feasible. I wanted to say goodnight? I loved her and couldn't stand the thought of waiting another four hours to see her?_

Edward Cullen, you are a crazy stalker.

_I poked my head around the door, and my heart immediately picked up. Her bed was empty. _

_Where was she? There was no light on in her en suite, so she wasn't in the bathroom. Did she have a date? Was she out, at some other mans house, letting him touch her, kiss her,_ fuck_ her? I shook the thoughts out of my head before the anger bubbling in my stomach could grip hold of me._

"_Bella?" I called softly. There was no answer._

_I crossed the room and pushed the en suite door open to be sure. It was empty._

"_Bella?" I called slightly louder. _

_When I was met with silence, I backed out of the room. The sensible thing would be to return to my room, get some sleep, not torment myself with thoughts of Bella and some faceless man..._

_But I couldn't. The silence seemed to torment me. I needed noise. Without conscious decision, I found myself outside the music room door. There was a vague glow from inside as if someone had left the lamp on._

_My heart soared at the sight inside. There was Bella. _My_ Bella curled up on the chair with a blanket draped around her. On her lap sat a leather bound book that I recognised immediately as my song book. I wondered if she'd reached the back of the book before she'd fallen asleep..._

"_Edward," she sighed._

_My heart skipped a beat. Her eyes were still closed, her pouty lips slightly open as she slept on. She was still asleep._

_Her lips curled up at the corners. "Edward, please."_

_She was dreaming about me. _

_She was here, with me. Not out with some other man, but here, with me. _Dreaming_ about me. I picked up the song book, glancing at it quickly before I replaced it on the shelf. She had been looking at one of my old attempts that had never been recorded. I wondered if he'd gotten to the back of the book... _

_She was light in my arms as I carried her upstairs, remembering the last time I'd carried her upstairs. The night that she called me cute and whispered in my ear. My jeans tightened at the memory. _

_I placed her back in to her bed. The blue of the cover highlighted the paleness of her skin, making it seem like moonlight in the dark gloom of the room. I brushed back her hair and, before I could think about what I was doing, pressed my lips to her forehead._

"_Edward," she mumbled again. "Edward, please!"_

_She let out a breathy moan and I knew I was done for. It was better than anything I'd ever heard before, better than anything I'd imagined. It was like music to my ears. _

_It took all my will power not to take her right then and there. _

Oh God. Get a grip Cullen. You're not a teenager. Have some self restraint.

_I clenched my fists and took a few steps back quickly out of the room. I heard her call out my name once more before I clicked the door shut. I'd have to have a cold shower before I hit the sack..._

"Alice has organised the party for tomorrow," Bella informed me. "Apparently, I get to meet the other famous Hale twin."

I was nervous, and I wasn't quite sure why. Jasper and Rosalie had been on the other side of the country visiting their parents for the last couple of weeks, so Bella hadn't met them yet, although they'd heard plenty about her from their respective partners. Jasper had been my best friend since school, and although I knew he'd be nice to Bella no matter what, I still wanted him to approve of her. Rosalie, however, was a down right bitch and if she didn't like someone, they'd know about it. I didn't know how Bella would cope.

We had reservations at La Bella Italia for eight, courtesy of Alice. It was now 7:35, and a twenty minute drive to get there.

"Bella?" I called up the stairs. "You ready?"

"Two seconds!" she called back. I straightened the shirt that I was wearing nervously and checked my reflection once more. Other than the hair that seemed untameable, everything seemed fine.

And then I heard footsteps at the top of the stairs, and Bella came in to view.

The dress she was wearing hugged all her curves and showed off her toned legs. The midnight blue colour made her skin look beautiful. Her hair fell in soft curls around her shoulders. It was perfect. She was perfect.

"You look beautiful," I told her. She ducked her head, and a small blush lit up her cheeks. When her eyes met mine again, I found myself leaning in to her, feeling the urge to kiss her, to taste her.

**BPOV**

I scrutinized my appearance in the mirror for the hundredth. Had the dress always been this short?

"Bella! You ready?" Edward yelled. We were going to be late if I didn't hurry up.

"Two seconds!" I yelled back. I guess it would have to do. I didn't have time to change, anyway.

He was trying to flatten his hair in the mirror when I reached the top of the stairs, but he looked up when he heard me. His eyes widened as he took in my appearance. I resisted the urge to run and change in to a pair of jeans and a hoodie.

He was looking more attractive than I'd ever seen him. He wore black trousers and had paired it with a charcoal shirt. He'd finished off the look with a skinny tie. His hair was as wild as ever, despite his attempts to flatten it.

He was staring at me intently. "You look beautiful," he said quietly as I reached the bottom of the stairs. I felt a blush heat my cheeks. When I looked back up, his face was dangerously close to mine. I could feel his breath against my lips.

My eyes widened in surprise. He was going to kiss me. _Edward Cullen _was going to kiss me. I titled my head towards him...

And then I felt his finger tips on my forehead as he brushed back a piece of hair.

"We should get going," he said.

I pulled back from him, trying to hide my disappointment. "Yeah, probably."

He led me to the car and opened my door for me before sliding in to the driver's seat. We were quiet on the short drive and despite the fact that I wanted to demand why he didn't kiss me, the tenseness in his jaw made me reconsider.

I shouldn't have been kissing Edward Cullen anyway. He had a reputation as a man whore. And was my employer. I couldn't get involved in a man like that. It had already hurt me once. I didn't want to be hurt again.

"We're here," Edward informed me after about 15 minutes as he pulled over. He helped me out and handed the keys to the valet, before offering me his arm. I took it hesitantly.

"Are you ready to meet Rose?" he asked me.

The nervousness that had been absent since our almost kiss returned with a jolt. "A bit."

"Don't worry. I'm sure they'll love you."

He gave his name to the hostess, a pretty, leggy blonde who obviously knew who he was.

"Mr Cullen," she simpered, looking up at him through long, fake lashes. "Right this way." She pulled out some menus and took us off down a corridor, walking slightly ahead of us with an exaggerated sway of her hips. I glanced up at Edward, but his eyes were on me, not the hostess.

"Here you go, Mr Cullen. I'll be right at the front if you need _anything_." She winked at him and sauntered off in the direction that we'd come.

"Ready?" he asked me.

"Yes." My voice sounded unconvincing to even my own ears.

"It'll be fine." He pushed the door open and gestured for me to enter. "Go on."

I stepped inside the room and six pairs of eyes swung towards me.


	11. Chapter 11

**Dear astounding readers, **

**I appreciate that I haven't posted in what must seem like ages, and I apologise profusely. **

**To make up for it, I give you this (9 page, and longest ever) chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, or Pride & Prejudice. **

**Enjoy,**

**BPOV**

"Edward!" I hissed at him as I took in the room. Alice and Jasper were talking in a corner of the room in low voices. Emmett stood talking to a tall, blonde women who looked like she'd just popped in on her way to the catwalk show she was about to put on, which I assumed was Rosalie. Then there were two other people in the room – a handsome blonde man, and an equally stunning woman with Edward's bronze hair. "You didn't tell me your _parents_ would be here."

The women waved at us and made a motion for us to come over.

"I didn't know they'd be here," Edward whispered to me.

"I'm not ready to meet your parents!"

He cocked his head to the side with a confused look on her face. "Why not?"

"What if they don't like me?"

"Nonsense." He reached down to link our hands and pulled us across the room them. "They'll love you."

They both smiled widely at us. I resisted the urge to pull my dress down. He squeezed my hand reassuringly.

"Hi, Mom, Dad. This is Bella."

"It's a pleasure to meet you both," I said nervously. They were even better looking close up.

"We've heard so much about you, dear!" his mother said immediately. Her eyes scanned my appearance. "You look beautiful."

Predictably, I blushed. "Thank you, Mrs Cullen."

The man laughed. "None of that. I'm Carlisle, and this is my wonderful wife, Esme."

Esme stepped next to me and hooked her arm through mine. "Come on Bella, dear. We must introduce you to Rose. She seems a bit hard to start with, but she really is a lovely girl."

Rosalie looked up as we approached. Her expression immediately turned indifferent as she noticed me at Esme's side. She was beautiful – the most beautiful person I'd ever seen in real life. She was taller much taller than me, with a willowy figure that made me immediately feel like a frumpy twelve year old girl again. Her blonde hair was piled up on top of her head, showing off her bone structure and her perfectly made-up eyes – that were trained on me. She slowly and obviously looked me up and down.

"Rose, dear. This is Edward's Bella." The flutter of warmth I felt at being called 'Edward's Bella' was immediately dowsed by the cold look in Rosalie's eyes.

"It's nice to meet you, Rose," I said politely.

Her eyes narrowed. "It's Rosalie."

_Oh. So that's how it's going to go. _"Well, then, it's nice to meet you Rosalie."

She merely nodded, turning her body slightly towards Esme, making it obvious that we were done with our conversation.

Emmett appeared at Rosalie's shoulder and bought an arm around her waist as he dipped his head to whisper to her. I picked out the words 'Bella', 'nice' and 'important to Edward'.

"I don't seem what Edward has to do with _my _opinion on her," she retorted with no bother to lower her voice.

Emmett shot me a hurried glance and murmured something else.

"Rosalie," I interrupted. "I know from experience that the bitch act gets old quick and I plan to stick around for a while. So the sooner you drop it, the sooner we can all get along, and the easier it will be for everyone."

Everyone in the room was staring at me incredulously. Apparently, that was not expected.

_Am I going to get slapped?_

Rosalie, however, just shrugged. "Whatever."

I smiled widely at her, gaining a grudging smile back. I was in.

"Time for dinner, everyone!" Alice chirped. The tension of the room was broken, and we all shuffled to our respective seats. I ended up between Alice and Edward, sitting opposite Carlisle. A waitress had appeared in our midst, and took everyone's orders before hurrying away to place them for us.

**EPOV**

"Bella seems nice," Carlisle told me in an approving tone. "Not like your other girlfriends."

I pulled my eyes away from the sway of Bella's hips. "She's not actually my, er, girlfriend."

"Really? You certainly seem to care about each other a lot."

Of course I cared about Bella. She was beautiful and sweet and loving and funny and witty.

"I know from experience that the bitch act gets old quick and I plan to stick around for a while. So the sooner you drop it, the sooner we can all get along, and the easier it will be for everyone."

My head snapped round. Bella and Rosalie were standing face to face, staring at each other with narrowed eyes.

_Did she just tell Rosalie off? No-one tells off Rose. _

And then Rosalie did something I didn't expect – She shrugged and turned away. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding and tried to catch her eye, but she was looking at Alice.

I hurried over to the table and pulled out Bella's seat for her, before slipping in to the one next to her.

"No one tells off Rosalie," I said to her in an undertone. She grinned sheepishly, and looked down at her menu.

There was a low hum of conversation at the table as we waited for our meals to come. I took the opportunity to look at Bella as she took a sip from her glass, as she nodded at something Alice said, as she twirled her fork absentmindedly between her fingers...

_God, she was beautiful._

"So, have you always lived over this way?" Carlisle asked her as the waitress place his starter in front of him.

"I'm from Washington originally. This tiny little town called Forks that no one's ever heard of. But I lived in England for a while, too."

Carlisle quirked an eyebrow. "What takes a girl like you to England?"

"Well, um." She shot me a look out the corner of her eye. "My parents got divorced when I was four, and I moved to England with my Mom."

She had the attention of everyone at the table now. Emmett leaned around Rose to talk to her. "Did you live in London, Bellybutton? Have tea and crumpets with the queen?"

"Emmett. Not everyone in England knows the queen, y'know." She rolled her eyes at him, but the corners of her mouth curled up. "I only lived in London a little while, at the start, then we moved up to the midlands."

"So what bought you back?"

She squirmed slightly in her seat which I knew meant she was uncomfortable. I reached over and gave her hand, which was lying on her lap, and gave it a quick squeeze.

She gave me a brief smile, before taking a breath and saying, "My Dad got sick, with um, cancer - when I – when I was fifteen. I moved up just before my sixteenth birthday to, to help him and stuff."

I was shocked. And from the silence that had fallen suddenly over the table, I wasn't the only one.

"That must have been tough," Carlisle said.

Bella gave a half-nod, half-shrug, before adding quietly, "He passed away a few months after I turned eighteen."

My heart emptied and then filled with sadness for her. "Bella," I whispered, reaching for her hand again. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know..."

"It's ok. Really." She closed her eyes for a second, and when she opened them again, they were free from the deep, watery look they'd previously held. She turned her attention back to Carlisle, without letting go of my hand and continued while I rubbed circles on the back of her hand with my thumb. "My Mom had remarried by that time. He was a professional ball player," she informed him with a scoff in her voice. "They travelled around a lot. I was an adult legally by that time, so I moved in with, um Jake, my boyfriend at the time."

She avoided my gaze as she finished. I ignored the ball of unjust jealousy that rolled in my stomach. She was saved from further comments and questions by the arrival of the main course.

"Sorry," she whispered to me as everyone was distracted. "I'm putting a downer on your party."

"Bella! Don't you ever, ever, apologise to me for that. I'm just sorry that you had to talk about your – your Dad. I'm so sorry."

"Shh. You didn't kill him, right?"

She was so brave, so strong. I leant forward on impulsive and pressed a kiss to her forehead. It may have been my imagination, but as I lent back in to my seat to accept my meal, I could have sworn Carlisle winked at me.

**BPOV**

The skin on my forehead tingled pleasantly where his lips pressed against it. I tried to hide my smile – unsuccessfully – and took my mushroom ravioli from the waitress with a huge goofy grin covering my face.

The rest of the meal past quickly, with no one asking me more about my past, which I was thankful for, because I didn't think that Edward's celebration meal was really the place to talk about it. I would have to talk about it, I knew, especially if I wanted something more with Edward, but that would come in good time.

If I wanted more with Edward.

The smart thing to do was run. Run before I could get too attached. Edward Cullen had a history of one night stands and floozy flings. I should tell him, at the end of my one month trial, that I didn't want to continue, and leave.

But my heart ached at the mere thought. I knew I couldn't walk away. And so I would stick it out and try not to get my heart broken.

I felt fingertips brush against my temple as a piece of hair was pushed back from my face. "Are you ready to go home?" Edward asked quietly. I looked around. While I had been lost in my internal battle, everyone had begun to gather their stuff and say their goodbyes.

"Are we not doing anything else?"

"We called off the club crawl. Another time, I think. Jasper has work in the morning."

"So we're just going home?"

He nodded. "If you want to. We could go somewhere else, if you prefer."

"No. Home sounds good."

He smiled. "I agree."

Carlisle and Esme left first, with Esme pulling me in to a hug and declaring that 'us girls would do lunch' before leaving. Rose and Emmett left next, and Alice and Jasper walked out with us.

"Thanks for organising this, Ali. I had fun," Edward said as we waited for the valet to bring the cars around.

"I had fun too," I added.

"Aw, shucks guys," she said, wriggling in to Jasper's arms. He drew her towards his chest and kissed her spiky black hair. I felt a pang of jealousy in my chest. They looked so happy.

The drive was quiet as we wound through the twilit streets towards the house. The moon seemed strangely bright tonight – bright and full, hanging low in the sky, eerily beautiful. Edward opened my door for me when we arrived home, and let us both in to the hallway, where we stood awkwardly.

"It's getting pretty late," Edward said after a few moments. "I'll be in the music room if you need me?"

"Sure. I guess I'll be getting to bed. Like you said, it's late."

"Goodnight, Bella."

"Sweet dreams." I trudged in the direction of my room and got ready for bed. I was too worked up to sleep so I pulled out the book that I was reading and turned to the page I had left at.

_``I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look, or the words, which laid the foundation. It is too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew that I ____had__ begun.''_

My mind wandered of its own accord, painting a picture of a Mr Darcy, who had a striking likeness to a certain Edward Cullen.

_Why hadn't he kissed me?_

The question had been haunting me all night. Why had Edward kissed me?

"_He likes you, that's for sure," Esme had told me earlier as Carlisle spoke to Edward. _

"_I'm not so sure, Esme," I confided._

"_Oh, honey, he adores you. I can tell. He's happier than I've ever seen him. He definitely likes you. A lot."_

"_Thank you Esme. I like him, too."_

"_He's a good man, Bella. I think you'll be good for him."_

I grabbed my book and marched to the music room before I could change my mind.

Music was drifting from inside, creeping through the gap in the door. I cold see Edward inside, hunched over the piano and bathed in an eerie silver light. His beauty made my heart ache. The notes flooded effortlessly from his fingers, and wrapped around me like a blanket. It was slow, unbearably sweet and haunting beautiful.

"_Focus, focus on my face,_

_Close your eyes, and find me in the darkness."_

I couldn't contain the gasp that left my chest. The raw emotion in his voice stole the breath from my lungs.

The music stopped.

"Bella?"

I stepped in to the room guiltily. "Yeah, it's me."

He frowned. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to, um, get a new book." I held up my copy of _Pride & Prejudice _as proof. "I've finished this one."

"Oh. Come in, then. I was just..."

"It was beautiful, Edward. Please don't stop on my behalf." I dropped the book on a nearby table and wandered closer to the piano. "Can I hear the rest of it?"

"Um, it's still a bit loose at the minute. I've got some work to do on it..."

"I don't mind. Please?"

He nodded once and returned his hands to the keys. The first few notes were hesitant, but grew with certainty as he continued.

"_Focus, focus on my face,_

_Close your eyes, and find me in the darkness,_

_We can use the stars as anchors,_

_As we stroll across the sky._

_Can you teach me to fly,_

_Like you taught my heart to soar?"_

The music built up, rising in swirls and waves around me and pulling me under its spell.

"_I'll sing all night if it will keep the bad dreams away,_

_All you have to do is ask me to stay._

_I'll hold your hand as the night blushes red with dawn,_

_We'll lie together as the day is born,_

_And leaves us in its wake."_

His voice grew softer as the music faded away again.

"_Sleep, sleep, _

_Close your eyes my dear_

_I promise when you wake_

_I will be here,_

_Sleep, sleep._

_Sleep, my dear."_

He repeated the last lines again, the music growing slower and softer as his voice effortlessly weaved through the melody. The last note hung in the air.

"You're crying," he breathed, capturing a tear underneath his fingertip. "Please don't cry."

"It's so beautiful."

His hand cupped my cheek. "Not as beautiful as you."

**EPOV**

My hands cupped her face. I need to kiss her, to touch her, to taste her, to consume her. Bella was special, different, perfect. I had to give her a choice.

"May I kiss you Bella?"

"Yes," she breathed, her breath dancing across my lips. "Please."

Her hand traced up my chest before coming to a rest at the back of my neck. Her fingers twined in my hair, pulling lightly at my hair and scratching my scalp. She pulled my head forward, urging me on, and it was all the encouragement I needed.

Our lips crashed together. My lips tingled, making the blood in my veins hum like electricity. I pulled her closer. My heart beat faster, pounding against my chest. I pulled her closer still. Our lips opened, and my tongue darted out to taste her. I could never have her close enough. She tasted of honey, and cherry and the most wonderful taste than I could only describe as..._Bella_.

"Bella," I whispered against her lips. "Bella...I can't – I can't..."

Her lips attacked my jaw line as her hand drifted down to grasp mine. She backed me out of the room.

"What is it, Bella? What do you want?"

Her lips drifted to my ear. "You. I need _you._"

My lips were feverish on hers as I attacked her lips with more force. We were backed up against the wall now, my hands on either side of her head as she pushed her body against mine.

"Stop playing with me," I growled as rubbed against my cock.

She gasped. "The bedroom, Edward."

Without another word, I scooped her up in my arms. She didn't complain, her lips busy nipping at any available skin while her hands pulled at the buttons of my shirt. I reached the bedroom in record speed and laid her in the middle of the bed.

"You are so beautiful," I murmured, because it was true.

Her eyes were blazing in to mine.

"I need you, Bella," I told her as I hovered over the top of her.

"_Please,_" she whimpered, as I peeled off her top. Her milky breasts fit perfectly in to my hands. When I flicked my thumbs over her nipples, she gasped, her back arching off the bed as she silently begged for more. She wiggled out of her shorts impatiently before attacking my shirt again.

Her eyes took in my body hungrily, and her hands eagerly followed as they traced my muscles and down to the button of my trousers, which she unhooked quickly. I kicked them off.

I kissed her again, softer this time, taking me time to explore the cavern of her mouth. She moaned into my mouth, and it was my undoing. I hooked my fingers over the edge of her panties.

"This is different," she whispered. "Different."

"Different," I agreed quietly.

Our gazes met, and I found, hidden in their depths, the answers to the questions that my heart and soul had been searching for. She nodded. I slipped off her panties.

"Bella, you are so wet for me." I traced a finger around the edge of her lower lips and she moaned again. It was like music to my ears. Better than I remembered. And I was the one causing it. I wanted to make her make that noise over and over again.

"It's hardly fair that you're wearing these," she told me, as she slipped her hand inside my boxers and squeezed my cock. I hardened impossibly more against her hand.

"Bella. If you tease me any more I might explode." I pulled off the boxers quickly.

Our bodies were so close to each other, our foreheads almost touching as I hovered over her. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," she whispered. Slowly, I pushed in to her, letting her adjust to my size. She wrapped around me like a glove – so soft, so wet, so _tight_.

"Bella, you feel so good, oh – so good."

"Please, Edward," she moaned, pushing her hips against me. We moved slowly, moving against each other, meeting each thrust. I kissed her languidly and swallowed her moans, as she in turn swallowed mine.

She moaned loudly as she became close. I felt her muscles tighten around me, drawing me to the edge of the cliff with her. And when she called my name as she came, her head thrown back and eyes clenched tightly in pleasure, it was my undoing, and we fell over the edge together.


	12. Chapter 12

**Dear astonishing readers, **

**Enjoy,**

**EPOV**

She was even more beautiful in sleep. She had a small smile dancing across her kissable lips, and her hair was spread in wild curls across her face and the pillow. One of her arms was thrown above her head, the other around my waist and our legs were entwined. I could feel her soft breasts against my chest, pushing closer to me with each breath.

I let my fingers flutter against the smooth skin of her hip where my hand was resting. She sighed softly in her sleep. My fingers moved downwards, dancing across her skin as I edged down her back and to her bum. God, I loved her bum. Perky and tight and flawlessly pale skin. I edged further still, curling my fingers around the tops of her thighs. Her lips twitched again and her eye lids fluttered.

I leaned in to her, brushing my lips softly against hers. "Wake up, Bella."

"No," she murmured, her eyes still closed. "I'm sleeping."

I kissed her again. Her lips, her jaw, her ear. "Wake up, Bella."

"No," she said. "Good dream."

I smiled against her neck, where my lips were now pressed. "Tell me about your dream."

"Mmmhmm. You kissed me."

I brought myself up level with her face and pressed my lips to hers again. She opened her mouth and welcomed my tongue eagerly.

"Lower," she whimpered. "You kissed me lower."

I smirked against her lips. "Lower?" My lips trailed down her neck again, lingering on her collarbone. "Like this?"

"Lower."

"Oh really?" I brushed the top of her breasts and circled around her nipple. "Like this?" I said against her flesh before latching around her nipple.

"Oh. _Oh._" She tasted amazing. Sweet and wonderful. Like nothing I'd ever tasted. I sucked greedily. Her body writhed underneath me as she pushed herself further in to my mouth.

I bit down gently on the tip. "Like this, Bella?" I growled.

"So good. So _good._" She arched her back off the bed. "More Edward. Lower."

Her hands tangled in my hair, scratching at my scalp in the most delicious way, and urged my head lower.

"Patience, Bella." I leisurely made my way down her body as I kissed each individual rib and dipped my tongue into her bellybutton.

"Edwaaard. Please. _Oh,_please."

I twirled my tongue around her hip bone. "You haven't told me about your dream, Bella." She whimpered again and attempted to push my head down. "Are you going to be a good girl and tell me Bella?"

"Please. _Please."_

I took a finger and ran it from her hip to the juncture of her legs. "My, my, Bella. You're very _wet_." I spread the moisture across her perfect, pink pussy lips. "Was it a _naughty _dream?"

She moaned, and another flood of wetness coated my fingers. "Edward. Fuck me."

"I want to know about your dream, Bella. Did I have my fingers here?" I circled her clit with my thumb. "Or maybe here?" I asked, pushing one finger in to her. She was so _tight_. And so, so wet.

Her back arched off the bed again. "Edward!"

I pumped into her a few times and then withdrew my finger. "Look how wet you are Bella." I bought my finger to my mouth and sucked off her juices. "Delicious."

"Edward, your mouth," she whined, pushing her hips up to gain some non existent friction.

"My mouth, Bella? Where would you like my mouth?" I pressed a kiss to her thigh. "Here?"

"My – My dream. Your mouth was on me – on my – on my pussy."

I felt my dick harden as the word 'pussy' fell from those pretty pouty lips. Dirty talk was never usually a turn on for me but from Bella, with her big innocent brown eyes..._God_.

"Like this?" I murmured against her before running my tongue experimentally over her.

**BPOV**

He looked up at me from between my thighs with the darkened mischievous eyes, and I knew I was lost.

"Like this?" he asked.

I opened my mouth to speak, but then I felt his tongue on me. _Holy fucking hell._ My hips bucked up of their own accord and he pushed them down with his forearm. His teeth were on my clit, tugging at it gently and his tongue was thrusting in to me and I could feel the coil in my stomach tightening and tightening. He murmured something against me and the vibrations sent me crazy. I couldn't control my hips as the pushed against his face and my hands tangled in his hair to push him closer still. And then his fingers were in me too, and he was thrusting and licking and biting and..._Oh. _

"That was amazing," I whispered as I came down from my high. My bones felt like liquid.

"Mmm," Edward murmured, returning to my side. "You're beautiful when you come."

I would have blushed if I'd have had the energy. "Thank you. Mmm."

"Shhh," he breathed.

When I woke up again, the bed was empty, and the space beside me was cold.

"Edward?" I called.

When there was no answer, I slipped out of bed, tugged on my discarded clothes and made my way to the kitchen.

"Edward?" I called again.

"Good morning, beautiful." He was dressed in low sling jeans and a black t-shirt and looked positively edible. _Hmm. That's an idea. _

"Good morning." I took the cup of tea he'd handed me. "Um, thank you for this morning."

He chucked and I was sure I was fire-truck red. "It was my pleasure Bella."

"I'll have to...return the favour, some time."

His eyes widened for a moment, but then the smirk was back in place.

"I'm holding you to that."

**EPOV**

Despite the fact that I jacked off no more than half an hour ago, when she said those words, my pants felt uncomfortably tight all of a sudden. Bella on her knees...those lips wrapped around me...her soft pink tongue...

I smirked at her. "I'm holding you to that."

She blushed again and I wanted to kiss her.

"So...do you think we should, um, talk about this?"

"Talk about what?"

"You know," she said, gesturing vaguely towards me and then herself. "Us."

I was hoping I'd have more sex to ravage her in my bed before the talk came up. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Well...are we, like, a couple?"

A couple? Like boyfriend and girlfriend? In all my adult life, I had never been in a relationship. I was more of a one-night-stand kind of guy. But with Bella?

"If we were a couple..." I started, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her towards my chest. "Could I hug you whenever I wanted?"

She tipped her head instinctively to give me access to her neck. "I guess they could."

I placed a kiss behind her ear. "Could I kiss you whenever I wanted?"

"Yuhuh," she breathed.

I leaned down until my lips were next to her ear. "Could I take you prisoner, and keep you in my room , while I ravish you senseless?"

She gasped. "Yes. You could definitely do that."

I released her and pushed back so I was leanings against the counter. "Cool."

She shot me a bewildered glance. "We're not doing the ravishing thing?"

"Maybe later."

"Asshole."

"You love it."

In an incredible display of maturity, she stuck her tongue out at me.

"Put that away, Ms. Swan, before I find a use for it."

"I'm sorry, Mr Cullen. Maybe you should punish me."

"Isabella. Where did the timid little girl that spilt wine all over my floor go?"

She rolled her eyes. "I'd be offended if I didn't know you preferred it."

"Maybe I want her back."

"I doubt it Cullen. Although you did seem to have a bit of a, ah, _problem_ with it," she said with a meaningful glance at my crotch.

_Shit. This one was feisty. _

"Bella! What am I going to do with you?"

"Maybe we should get on with the ravishing?"

"You bet your ass we will." I dived towards her, grabbing her around the waist. She struggled wildly, before escaping under my arms.

"Come and catch me, Cullen!" she screamed as she took off for the stairway. I chased after her, delighting in her giggles. She was fast, but not fast enough. I caught her halfway up the stairs and swung her over my shoulder.

"You'll pay for that Swan," I told her, giving her a playful slap on the ass.

"Edward!"

"You love it."

"I don't," she denied.

"Yes you do. Don't lie to me Swan."

I could just imagine the little pout on her mouth. "I don't!"

"Please, Swan," I said as I chucked her on to my bed. "I can practically _smell_ you."

_Let the ravishing begin. _


	13. Chapter 13

**Dear unbelievable readers, **

**I have 69 reviews. *giggle* :] But seriously, thank you, I love you all. I try to reply to all reviews...eventually. If I don't, please feel free to kick my ass about it.**

**Now...the return of a character in this chapter. Who's it gonna be? **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. **

**Enjoy,**

**BPOV**

"Bella. Bella. You need to wake up."

"No," I mumbled, pulling the pillow back over my face to block out the light that was blaring through the window. "I'm sleeping."

"You need to wake up," the angel's voice persisted.

"Sleeping."

"Alice will be here in an hour."

_Alice? _I threw the pillow and covers off me. "Oh God, why didn't you say?"

He chuckled. He was already showered and dressed, and was now sat on the edge of the bed. "I told you you needed to wake up."

"Did you already shower? Without me?"

"You're insatiable."

"Why is Alice coming over?"

"To steal you away from me, apparently. Although I don't think I should let her." His fingers played across my ribs like a piano. "You are far too tempting."

He was looking at me with that look in his eyes. That one that comes just before he demands me to get on my knees so he can fuck me hard and fast from behind...

_Mmm. _

"Stop it! Stop looking at me like that! We won't get out of bed otherwise."

His fingers slipped lower. "Maybe that wouldn't be such a bad thing."

"Edward! Do you want your sister to walk in on us having sex?"

His hand immediately jerked from my skin. "Well, there's a boner killer if I ever heard one."

"And you call me insatiable." I stretched and pulled myself out of the warm bed. "Now go. I'm getting changed."

"Ooooh. Breakfast and a show."

"Ugh. You're so disgusting. Out."

"I believe," he said, stalking around the bed towards me. "That it is my room."

"Fine then. I'll go to my own room."

I darted towards the door, but he was too quick for me and was there, blocking it. "Nuhuh, little girl. You're my prisoner."

"Edward." I planted my hands on my hips. "Move."

"Nope."

"Move!"

His lips brushed my forehead. "Nope."

"Don't try and distract me." His lips brushed my nose, my lips, my cheeks.

"Is it not working?" he mumbled against my chin.

"No," I said, sounding breathless even to myself.

"No?" He pushed down the strap of my pyjama top to give him access to my shoulder. "What about now?"

"No," I repeated with even less conviction.

"And now?" he said, his lips brushing the top of my breast.

"Oh God. Yes. Please." His hips pushed up against me, pushing his hardness in to my stomach. I reached down to grasp it and he hissed against my skin.

"Isabella. The things you do to me."

"Edward. Edward." I arched my back, trying to get closer to his mouth.

"Bella," he moaned. His hips were thrusting into my hand as his kisses turned harder, more forceful against the skin of my breast.

"Edward," I moaned back.

We were thrusting and moaning and then –

"Edward! Bella! Where are yoooo-uuuu?"

We froze. "Crap. Alice."

"I completely forgot," he said. "You're just so...deliciously tempting."

I groaned. "Don't say things like that. Alice is downstairs." I tugged up the strap of my top and reluctantly pushed him away from me. "We can't."

"We can be quiet," he whispered seductively.

I tried to suppress my moan and took a step back. "Alice! Be there in a sec!" I shot a stern look at Edward. "Behave."

Five minutes later, we were all sat around the table with drinks. Alice was looking suspiciously between us.

"So Bella, fancy a shopping trip?" Alice asked.

I smiled. "Do you want an honest answer?"

"I want some new lingerie. Jasper's birthday's coming up, and I need another opinion."

Edward's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. That boy had no subtlety.

"Whatever. I'll come if you want."

"Cool. Run and get changed then."

I tossed a smile over my shoulder as I sashayed out of the room. Today might be fun after all.

**EPOV**

As soon as Bella left the room, Alice hit me on the side of the head.

"Alice! What was that for?" I asked, rubbing the side of my head. The girl was small, but that _hurt_.

"You had sex with her!" she accused.

_Oh, crap. Was Alice meant to know? We'd said we would be a couple...but was I ready for everyone to know? We'd barely been together a day._

"Sex with Bella?" I asked innocently.

"Yes, asshole! You've got that big goofy sexed up grin on your face! What were you _thinking?"_

_I was thinking that if Bella wanted it, Bella got it._

"What was I thinking?" I repeated.

"Yes! You had sex with her! You can't just take advantage of her like that!"

_Excuse me? _"Excuse me? I took advantage of her? I think it was pretty consensual, thanks."

"I don't care if it was consensual! Of course she likes you but I didn't think she'd - Oh God. Are you just going to fire her now? Fuck, Edward. I really like Bella."

"Alice, calm down. I like her too. Of course I won't fire her."

She glared at me. "Well you're in for some awkward times then, Mr-I-Don't-Do-Relationships-I'd-Rather-Just-Fuck-You."

I sighed. "You have such a low opinion of me." She shot me a look that clearly said '_I know I'm right'_. "I really do like Bella. I think this could be...different."

"Different?"

"Yeah, different."

She collapsed on to a seat. "Oh, thank God."

"You're welcome."

"Is this your way of telling me you have a girlfriend?"

"Um, yeah, I guess?"

"Awesome. I'm so proud of you, big brother. I might even buy you a present while I'm shopping." With that, she winked, and left, calling for Bella. My beautiful girlfriend. My beautiful, amazing, perfect girlfriend.

And speaking of my beautiful, amazing, perfect, stunning, adorable girlfriend...

"I've got to run," she said quickly. "Does Alice know?"

"Yeah," I said, pulling her in for a kiss. She kissed me briefly, but firmly, and then pulled away.

"Bye, honey."

The door shut behind her with a thud, and a few second later, I heard the sound of the car pulling away.

It was over an hour later when my phone bleeped in my pocket. I'd been in the music room, trying to fit some music around some new words, when it vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out and opened up the text message.

It was a picture of Bella and ...

_Fuck Me._

It was taken in the changing room mirror, showing her wearing nothing but a black thong and push up bra. She was bent over slightly, showing off that fucking awesome cleavage.

_Do we like? _she'd attached.

I text back a quick _Fuck yes, send more _and shoved my phone back in my pocket. The image of her milky skin danced across my vision.

The next text came a few minutes later. This time, lacy boy shorts and a matching bra in blood red. My pants became uncomfortably tight. _Holy fuck._

The next text message came in ten minutes later. No picture this time, just a text message.

_Alice says it's time to stop my dress up game. Maybe we could play later?_

I typed as quickly as I could.

_Fuck, Bella. We can play all night. _

The response left my pants tighter still.

_Good. I saved my favourite set._

This girl was going to be the death of me.

I returned my hands to the piano, trying to find the right tone. The notes that came out were quick and edgy: I was majorly worked up. I needed to..._relieve _some stress. And preferably soon.

When my phone rang again, I jumped up to grab it, fumbling with the buttons in an effort to answer it. _Please be Bella._

"Hello, beautiful," I said lowly into the phone. She wouldn't admit it, but I knew that tone always turned Bella on.

A high pitched giggle. "Eddie, hello," a voice purred back. Not Bella. That was not Bella _at all_.

"Oh. Tanya," I said dully. "What's up?"

"Eddie! It's been too long," in that same voice. I couldn't believe that this had once made me want to crawl in to bed with her. Now it sounded harsh and grating compared to my angel's voice. "I've just gotten back from Italy. We should hang out."

I knew that by 'hang out' she meant 'fuck each other, preferably a lot'. I had no desire to do anything of the sort, unless of course, it was with a certain brown haired angel. "I don't know. Tanya. I'm kind of busy lately..."

"Edward," she whined. "Just lunch. I'm going to be in New York soon and you'll be on your tour...We can get together then. It'll be..._fun_."

"Yeah, maybe, Tanya." _How about no? Take a hint, girl. _"Listen, I've gotta go."

"Ok, Eddie. I'll see you then. We'll, uh, do lunch."

"Yeah, bye," I said, cutting off the call without waiting for a response.. I didn't want to deal with Tanya. Not now that I had Bella. I threw the phone to the side and collapsed on the bed, trying really really hard not to think of Bella...and failing.


	14. Chapter 14

**Dear unbelievable readers, **

**I have no excuse good enough. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. **

**Enjoy,**

**BPOV**

"Bella, why are you blushing?" Alice demanded.

I dropped my phone back in to my bag subtly. "Nothing. Is this the next set?"

She passed me the next set of lingerie – blood red, with a clasp at the front of the bra. _That could be useful... Quick access._

My blush darkened at my own thoughts. I'd never been a prude...I'd had sex before. Not tons, but definitely some. But something about Edward made every nerve in my body come alive when he looked at me with those bright burning eyes, like his body was calling to mine, begging him to touch me, taste me, fill me...

"Bella! Earth to Bella!" She waved her hand back and forward in front of my face. "Are you going to go and try it on?"

"Yeah, I'll just, er..." I smiled at her brightly and yanked the curtain shut on her. My phone buzzed as I struggled in to the boy shorts.

_Fuck yes. Send more. _

I giggled at his response and opened up my camera ap to take a shot of the new set.

"Bella? What was that?"

_Oops. _"Nothing."

"It sounded like a camera."

"A camera?" I repeated, trying to sound innocent. "I don't know what you're talking about Alice."

She pulled the curtain back slightly and slipped inside the changing room with me. "I saw a flash too."

I shrugged. "Lights flickered?"

"Bella. I'm not stupid. You were taking naughty pictures to send to Edward!"

I must have looked like a fire truck.

"Alice!"

She rolled her eyes. "Bella. You are!"

"I – I – "

"Bella, don't be embarrassed. Give me your phone so we can get all of you in."

I grinned and passed her the phone. "Thanks, Alice."

"Scoot back a bit. Right, pout a bit. Trust me – Jasper loves it. Edward will too. Yeah. Gorgeous!" She snapped the picture and giggled as she sent it off. "Ok. So you're buying that and the black one. And I've picked out a few more too."

"Ok then. Chuck us the next one." She passed me a set with a devilish grin on her face. "No sending pictures of this one to Edward. It's got to be a surprise. Ok? I'll know if you do."

I waved her away and she slipped back out of the changing room, leaving me with the articles in my hand. They looked pretty simple. Dark blue. I slipped them on.

The bra pushed my boobs up and together. They were lacy, and the top part was almost see-through, so that my nipples were easily visible. The colour complimented my skin nicely. The bottoms seemed innocent enough, in matching lacy material...until I opened my legs and found them crotch-less.

"Alice! What were you thinking?" I hissed through the curtain.

She giggled. "What? Edward will love them!"

"I don't know about this..."

"Bella. I know you're a little sex kitten. Just buy them. You don't have to wear them if you don't want to, but then they're there just in case."

"I don't know if I can afford them."

"Well then I'll buy them for myself. They might just end up in your bag by mistake. It's a good job we're the same size, if that happens."

I sighed. I wasn't going to win.

"Whatever."

"Get changed, Bella babes. We're in a rush."

"We are?"

"Yuhuh. I'm sure Edward will be sufficiently missing you now. I'll just go start paying for these. See you in a minute."

She wondered off as I slipped out of the blue set and pulled me clothes back on. My face in the mirror was flushed. I fired off a quick message to Edward and tried to calm myself down before stepping out of the dressing room.

Alice was stood at the counter next to a pile of clothes while some creepy sales assistant spoke to her breasts. She was tapping her foot impatiently as I came up behind her.

"Bella!" she called, completely cutting off the sales assistant. "Stay here a minute while I just go grab something? I completely missed that display!"

I found it hard to believe that she'd missed anything in the shop, but waved her off as I took her place behind the counter. I just hoped she got back before they asked for payment, because there was no way I could afford all of this.

"Ah yes," the creepy sales assistant said, leaning across the desk to grab a set that was closest to me, his hand _accidentally _brushing my stomach as he did. "These are one of my particular favourite sets." He held up a red satin bra with half cups and smiled at me. I suppressed a shudder.

I looked around to see Alice. She was rooting through some see through nighties. She caught my eye.

"Traitor," I mouthed. She shrugged.

"What was that, Alice?" I said loudly, and then turning to the sales assistant. "Are you ok just putting this through while I go and see what she wants?" Before waiting for an answer, I ducked around the line and scurried towards Alice.

"Problem, Bella?" Alice asked.

"He is so creepy."

She pulled out a purple barely there nightie. "I know. This is nice, though, isn't it?"

"Yeah. Why did you leave me?"

"'Cause he was creepy. Should I get it?"

"Why not? You left me because he was creepy?"

"I think I will get it." She tucked it over her arm. "You can obviously take care of yourself Bella."

I huffed as we returned to the counter. Alice handed over the nightie and pulled out a credit card from her bag.

"Edward's paying, so don't worry," she said, waving me off before I even started my argument. "I'll pay him back for my stuff." The stuff had finally be put through, and I looked away as Alice paid for it, not wanting to know how much it had cost. She threw a few bags at me as we headed for the exit.

Alice dropped me of with not a few, but six bags an hour or so later. I loaded them all in to my arms and made my way precariously to the door, using my elbow to open it and stumbling inside. I dumped all but two bags down in the hall, knowing I wouldn't be able to carry them all at once.

Downstairs seemed to be empty, and I couldn't help the twinge of disappointment that I felt in my chest that Edward hadn't come to meet me at the door. Maybe he was out?

"Edward?" I called out. "You here?" There was no answer.

Resigning myself to the fact that I'd just have to wait a bit longer to see him, I walked to my room with the two bags. As I reached the top of the stairs, I heard a weird sound.

"Bella! Bella!" he called, his voice strained and coming from the direction of his room. Was he hurt? Was he in trouble? The bags fell out of my hands and I rushed to his room, pushing open the door, and finding...

Edward was hunched over, his trousers undone and his hand on his dick. He was stroking himself, his eyes scrunched up and his muscles so tensed that if I hadn't known better I would have said he was in pain. He was panting, his lips moving.

"Bella!" he called again.

I was shocked. "Edward?"

**EPOV**

I'd tried to sleep. I'd tried to play. I'd tried to lose myself in a movie. None of it was working.

Bella invaded my dreams.

Bella haunted every note.

Bella looked so much like Kristen Stewart. Except prettier.

So I headed to my bedroom, and just stopped trying to fight it. I closed my eyes and saw her, spread out underneath me, her hair across my pillow, her chest rising, covered in sweat.

What I wasn't expecting was for her to walk in on me while I was jacking off to thoughts of her.

"Edward?" she said, her voice timid and unsure. My hand jerked off my dick and my head whipped fast so round I was sure I'd given my self whiplash.

"Bella? What are you doing here?"

"We just got back..." she said. The problem was, she was addressing my still hard dick. "Were you...?"

"Um, sort of..." I tried to tug up my jeans again. She took a step forward.

"Oh," her eyes travelled up my chest, to my face. She looked in to my eyes. Hers were wide, innocent.

And then she said, "Can I watch?"

_Fuck._


	15. Chapter 15

**Dear fantastic readers, **

**I know you all hate me. I just haven't been writing lately. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. **

**Enjoy,**

**EPOV**

"Bella, I don't know if we should," I said carefully. My dick was still painfully hard.

Bella's eyes lifted to mine. "Why not?"

That was a very good question. Why not?

"Don't you think we're maybe, um, moving a little fast?"

"I'm a big girl, Edward," she said. "I can look after myself. Now make yourself comfortable."

"What?" Bella was kneeling down in front of me. "Bella, what are you doing?"

"I think that's pretty obvious," she scoffed, placing her hands on my thighs as she scooted closer to me. My dick twitched. "I'm helping."

"You don't need to do this, Bella…" I said half-heartedly. Because the truth was, there was nothing more I wanted at that moment than for Bella to do exactly what she had planned.

"Shut up. I can't leave you like this." She emphasised her point by reaching up her hand to wrap around the base of my rock hard cock. I groaned. "And you won't let me watch you do it yourself."

_How do I get myself in to these situations? Not that I'm complaining._

She pumped my dick a few times. Her hand was small, warm, and so much better than my own. "Stand," she commanded. I stumbled to my feet. "Now wrap your hands in my hair."

Fuck, this girl was amazing. I tangled my fingers through her brown waves. Her warm breath was against my skin. I groaned again, closing my eyes. If I looked down, seeing those innocent eyes looking up at me, I would surely come faster than a fourteen year old. Of course that meant I was totally unprepared when she flicked out her tongue to lick the head.

"_Fuck_, Bella." My fingers tightened in her hair. She opened her mouth, taking me inside, and I had to bite my cheek to keep my groans in. It was incredible. So hot, and warm, and…Oh God. "Fuck! That feels so good."

My hands began to move of their own accord, guiding her head as she sucked me. She did so eagerly, rolling her tongue around me, and hollowing her cheeks. As she swallowed against me, I nearly lost it. "Oh, God, baby, don't stop, ok?"

She sucked harder, quickening her pace slightly, pulling almost all the way off to pay attention to the head, before taking me back in again. I was getting close.

**BPOV**

I don't think he was aware of the noises coming out of his mouth as I moved around him, but I was certainly enjoying it.

"Oh, God, _God_, so good. Please don't stop, don't ever stop, Bella, baby." He let out a low moan again. "I'm gonna come."

This spurred me on more. I sucked him deeper, faster, harder, feeling him twitch before releasing inside my mouth. I swallowed it down, sucking lightly on the head before pulling away.

"That was – wow – that was amazing," he sighed, collapsing on to the bed. "Thank you."

"My pleasure."

He grinned up at me, pulling me towards him so I fell next to him on the bed. His hand found my hip, and pulled me in to his side.

"That was fan-fucking-tastic," he informed me.

"So you've said." I couldn't help feeling a little smug. I leaned over to kiss him on the lips sweetly. He tried to deepen it, but I pulled away. "Pull your pants up, rock star. We don't want to get carried away."

"But getting carried away is so much fun," he whined.

I rolled my eyes at him. "Don't you want a fashion show?"

**EPOV**

Bella passed on the fashion show, deciding that it would be much more fun to discover them as we went. She wouldn't even let me in to her room, claiming that she was going to hide them instead. I let her go, watching the sway of her hips, because I knew that this was going to be a lot of fun.

We sat at talked that night, her stretched out on the sofa while I played the piano and jotted down some lyrics. There was nothing permanent yet, but it was already starting to come into shape. Slower and more sensual than normal and I had no doubt it was because of my brown eyed muse.

I already knew Bella was different, but I wasn't quite ready for the effect that she was having on me. She was amazing, smart and sexy, sweet and caring. It was impossible _not _to like her. But there was something else there, something deeper, something that made a smile light up my face every time she walked in to the room, and the butterflies I haven't felt since I was fifteen fire up in my stomach.

But of course, it was much too soon for love.

At least, that's what I kept telling myself.

It was a week later that I answered the door to find Emmett standing there.

"Hey man!" he boomed, despite the fact I was stood right in front of him. "The gangs here!"

He stepped aside slightly, showing that there were in fact two cars pulled up on the driveway. Alice, Jasper and Rosalie were walking up towards us.

"Oh, um, come in then." I stepped aside to let Emmett through. "Bella, we've got company!"

"What kind of company? Do I need to go put some trousers on?" she yelled back.

Emmett raised an eyebrow. "Are we disrupting something?"

"Asshole. She's wearing shorts," I explained. Just then, Bella appeared around the corner, showing off tons of creamy skin in her shorts and tank top.

"Oh, it's just you Emmy-Bear," she said calmly. "What's up?"

"I've got the gang back together!" he said, gesturing wildly at the door. "Time for a rematch!"

"Pictionary is no fun unless you're drunk."

Alice appeared at the door. "Damn straight. But no worries. We bought booze."

"Oh cool." I watched as Jasper approached with a bottle of wine in his hand, with Rosalie close behind him. Bella smiled widely at them. "Hey guys."

Jasper smiled warmly, scooting past Alice so that he could ruffle Bella's hair. I tried not to feel jealous. Rosalie gave a grudging smile, too.

"Did you only bring one bottle? How are six of us meant to get drunk of that?" Bella demanded, eying the bottle.

"Oh, shush. Edward will have something else." She turned to me for the first time. "Right?"

"Probably. You wanna go check?"

She nodded, grabbing the bottle and Bella's hand and dragging her to the kitchen. The rest of the gang moved towards the other rooms, Emmett yelling something about a white board, and Jasper telling Rosalie that he and Alice would kick ass.

I lingered for a minute, standing in the doorway to the kitchen where Alice and Bella were mixing something up. Bella had pulled out a big jug and tipped a large portion on the wine bottle inside.

"We need music!" Alice declared. "Jasper, we need Sway!"

Jasper shouted "On it!" from the living room, and a few seconds later, music flooded the room.

"Ooh! I love Michael Buble!" Bella squealed. Alice squealed back at her, and the two of them began to dance around the kitchen, swinging their hips and twirling around.

"We need Vodka. Do we have any vodka?"

Bella shrugged. "I'll ask Edward." She swung round quickly, spinning towards the door and…

…ran straight in to my chest.

"Whoa, Edward. Didn't see you there." She smiled coyly. "Were you spying on us?"

"Uh – no. Just making sure you weren't wrecking the kitchen."

She giggled. "I think Emmett might be more of a problem. You should go check on him."

I nodded, unravelling my arms that were still wrapped around her. "Ok. I will."

"Good." She stood on her tip toes, placing a kiss to my chin.

"Yeah, I'm going." She kissed me again.

"Mhmm. You really should."

We smiled at each other, neither of us moving.

"Bella! Vodka!"

"I'm coming!" Bella shouted, breaking the trance. "Do we have any vodka?"

"We do," I answered. "We keep it with the other spirits. In the spirits cupboard."

"The spirits cupboard," she repeated. "Why didn't I think of that?"

"I found it, Bella," Alice said, appearing holding a jug of dark red liquid. "Let's hit it." She walked past us, walking in to the living room and announcing "Sangria!"

"We should join them."

"We should."

"They're probably causing trouble."

"Probably."

"And you're the host."

"We are hosting."

"GET YOUR ASSES IN HERE!"

I sighed, knowing that we actually had to go, and grabbed her hand, dragging her towards the living room.

"Finally, they grace us with their presence," Rosalie said snidely.

"Shush, Rose. Leave Eddie and his girl alone."

_My girl._

"Are we playing Pictionary or not?" Alice demanded.

The teams were easily split up at first, everyone claiming their respective partner's as team mates. That left me and Bella, curled up together on one of the seats while we battled it out with the others. Currently, we were second.

"Alice and Jasper shouldn't be allowed together," Bella complained. Her cheeks were flushed, and I'm pretty sure she was drunk. "She's psychic or something."

Alice stuck her tongue out. "It's just 'cause we know each other so well."

"It's Pictionary, not Mr and Mrs."

"You're just jealous."

"Let's swap teams!" Emmett suggested loudly.

Bella wriggled on my lap so she could see Emmett. "You suck, Emmy-Bear. No one else wants to play with you."

"Shut up, Bellybutton! I'm better than Edward."

She smiled. "Nuhuh."

"Bet I am. Tell her Rosie."

Rosalie shrugged. "He's decent."

"Ha!" Bella said triumphantly. She shuffled again, positioning herself in a way that gave me access to her neck. I placed a kiss there, behind her ear, which I knew was one her favourite spots. She didn't disappoint, rewarding me with a soft moan.

"I'm more of a man!" Emmett was still defending.

Bella leaned in to me. "Edward's better. He's a sex God."

"I'm a Sex God! Rosie, tell them."

I was attacking Bella's neck with my lips now, sucking on the spot at the base of her neck. She was moaning and shifting in my lap, causing my dick to wake up every time she grazed it.

"Emmett," Rosalie said. "They're practically doing it on the seat."

He huffed. "Come on Rosie! We're going home to have sex!"

"I think that's our queue to leave," Alice said cheerfully. "We'll let ourselves out guys, don't worry."

Bella was straddling me even before the door had clicked shut. My hands were on her hips, hers on my shoulder as our tongues fought with each other.

"Bella," I moaned. "I need you."

She grinded against me. "Then take me."

And I did. Right there on the sofa.

I woke up on the bed, with Bella's legs wrapped around mine, and her head on my chest. It was a glorious way to wake up.

"Good morning, sleepy head," she said, kissing my bare chest.

"Hmm, it is indeed."

She giggled, kissing me again. "Not as good as last night."

"I think we might have made a new record," I grinned. "How many was it?"

"On the sofa."

"Then over the chair." Bella, bent over the arm of the chair, her ass thrust out for me. She had moaned as I spanked her. _Mmm_. "I wouldn't mind a repeat performance of that."

"Then in the shower," she reminded me.

"Do we count that as two? You did get two orgasms out of it."

"Possibly. Then in the bathroom. I think that might have been my favourite."

"Then we finally made it to the bed."

"Only because of me. You would have done it on the floor."

Her hair tickled my chest as she laughed. "We could always try the floor now."

"Edward!" she admonished. "I think we've had enough for the week."

"Spoil sport."

"Come on, rock star. You've got to do tour practice today. And I need a shower."

"I don't want you to." I tightened my arms around her. "Stay in bed with me."

**BPOV**

"I'd love to, but my boss is kinda strict, and I've been lacking in my house duties recently."

His arms immediately loosened. Crap. Why did I have to go and say that? Remind him that he was my boss? It was so typical of me to fall in love with my boss.

Because fuck it, I loved Edward Cullen.

"Edward, I – I wanted to talk to you actually." I saw the wary look in his eyes, but I also knew that we had to have this conversation. "Can we go to IHOP?"

He looked confused, but agreed easily, letting me up to shower and get changed.

"Why IHOP?" he asked. We'd both ordered, and were sitting at the sticky table, opposite each other.

"Sentimental reasons, I guess," I answered. "I used to come here a lot after Dad got ill. He loved it here, and it just made me feel close to him. I practically lived here after, you know."

He smiled sadly, reaching to clasp my hand across the table. "So why IHOP now?"

"I've probably scared you now, haven't I?"

He nodded, his eyes wary. "A little bit."

"It's nothing bad… I just wanted to talk to you about something. Something I said this morning."

He sighed. "About the boss thing?"

"Yeah," I admitted quietly. "I don't want to make it weird or anything. I just…I think maybe we should just talk about it. Maybe find another job."

"Why would you do that?" he said sadly.

"Because this," I said, motioning between us, "is strange. You pay me."

"And? I pay Emmett, too. And Alice."

"This is different."

"Different how?"

I swallowed thickly. "They're not sleeping with you."

"So you don't want to sleep with me?"

"No! That's not it at all!" _No, no, no. _"I don't want you to pay me."

"Why not? I want you to be happy. I want you to be able to do whatever you want, buy whatever you want."

"Because… it makes me feel like a whore," I whispered.

"What?" His eyes were livid, darker than I'd ever seen them, his lips thin and his jaw tensed. A few heads had turned, staring in our direction curiously.

"Edward! _Please_. We're in a public place," I said frantically.

"Fuck, Bella! I don't care," he said angrily. "You _never _think about yourself like that. That is – I can't believe you'd even _think_ – "

"Edward, it's ok, it's ok," I said to him, squeezing his hand that was still linked with mine.

"It's _not_. I didn't think. I didn't want you to – you're not – "

"Edward. It's not your fault. I just don't want you to pay me anymore."

Edward sighed deeply, the anger leaving his eyes. "Ok. I understand. But I'm sorry. I really am."

"It's not your fault." I squeezed his hand again, and this time he squeezed back. "I don't want you to get another job."

"We'll work it out."

He smiled, "I know we will."


	16. Chapter 16

**Dear marvellous readers,**

**There's a bit of a gap between this and the last chapter. Don't worry. You didn't miss anything. **

**I won't make promises for next chapters, because, frankly, I don't know when it will be.**

**Love as always,**

**Enjoy.**

"Bella, get out of bed."

I pulled the covers higher over my head. They still smelt like him.

"Bella, get out of bed."

My voice came out muffled. "Don't wanna."

"You can't just lie around all day smelling his sheets," Alice said. I felt the bed dip down as she sat by my feet. "You've got to get out of bed."

I ignored this and snuggled closer in to the pillows. I missed him.

"Fine. Whatever. I'm sending in Emmett to talk to you, anyway. Then you're getting out of bed."

The weight removed as she stood up. Emmett was standing outside, and they spoke in hushed voices they didn't think I'd hear.

"It's only been a week." That was Emmett. And he was wrong. It had been nine days. Nine days without him. And he was going to be gone for a whole _month_.

"I knew it would be hard on her," Alice responded.

"Sad, yeah. But she won't get out of bed."

"Just go and talk to her."

"It's not healthy, is all."

_Screw you, Emmett. I can do what the hell I want._

I heard Alice sigh. "That's love, Emmett."

_Stupid, Alice. Stupid, right Alice._

The door shut quietly.

"Bella? Can we talk?" Emmett said, his voice closer now.

"No," I grumbled.

"Please? You don't have to get out of bed."

"No."

"It's important."

"Hmmph." I rolled back over so I was facing the direction of his voice. "Really important?"

He didn't answer, but the dip in the mattress told me that he'd sat down. Then, he pulled the cover up and slipped in to the bed beside me. "It's really important," he promised.

We were facing each other, only a few inches between us, our breaths mingling. If it was anyone else but Emmett, it may have been seen as romantic. But he had Rosalie, and I had Edward. And that would just be…wrong.

He winked. "Want me to show you how much more of a man than Edward I am?"

"Shut up, Emmett. You said it was important."

"It is, it is!" he insisted. "You'll love me, Bellybutton."

I scoffed. Edward's scent wasn't as strong with Emmett here. "Get it over with."

"Don't get your panties in a twist, ok? I've come to offer you a job."

"You work for Edward."

He nodded solemnly. "I do indeed. I'm his publicist."

"So…what job would I do?"

"I need a second assistant."

"A second assistant? Are you just being greedy?"

He smirked at me. They must teach them that at boy school, 'cause Edward had the exact same smirk. Except sexier. "Truthfully, that Bree girl annoys the crap out of me. With you working for me, I can dump her at the office and you can come on the outings with me."

"So what do we do?"

"The general. Signings, performances, TV spots…tours."

"Tours? Like the tour he's on right now?"

"Umm-hmmm."

"So why are you here and not with him?"

"He can cope for a day or two. I left Riley with him." He kicked the covers back to free his legs. "Besides, I had some girl that I had to offer a job to."

"Oh, really? So when do you go back?"

He glanced at his watch. "My flight leaves in six hours. Be ready in two."

I didn't realise that my leg was bouncing until Emmett placed his large hand on my knee. "Calm down, Bella. Are you gonna be like this for the whole flight? We haven't even taken off yet."

I grinned sheepishly. "Sorry. Just nerves and excitement, I think."

The butterflies were flying a whirlwind in my stomach. The nerves and excitement were bubbling up inside of me, growing and growing until they couldn't help but escape – through the bouncing of my knee, or, now, the tapping of my fingers on the arm rest.

"Can't you read or something?" he asked. I glanced over at the book that I had bought at the airport, on Emmett's insistence. Something about vampires.

"I'm too antsy to read," I complained.

"Listen to music, then."

"I didn't bring my iPod."

He rolled his eyes, and pulled his own iPod. "Listen to mine then."

"Thank you!" I flicked quickly through the names on the iPod, recognising most of them. One name caught my eye. "Emmett, you have Edward on your iPod?"

"It's a publicist's job to be aware of their clients."

"Sure, sure, Emmy-Bear."

"Less of the Emmy-Bear. I am your boss. I could fire you."

I smirked at his empty threats. We both knew that he wouldn't fire me. "I just thought you said they were girly, is all."

"They _are_. I'm just doing my job."

"Ok. That makes sense. I'm just gonna get _acquainted _with my client, then."

He looked amused. "I _know_ how well acquainted you are."

I ignored Emmett, selecting Edward's newest album to listen to. While I knew a lot of the songs from hearing them on the radio and such like, there were a few that I hadn't yet listened to. I put on the first one, figuring it was a safe place to start, and leant back to listen.

I was not a jealous girl.

At least, I tried not to be a jealous girl. But I couldn't help feeling an uncomfortable pang as I listened to some of the lyrics that Edward's voice caressed. Especially as his voice dipped, seemingly coming closer, as if he was whispering straight in to my ear.

_We know 'I love you' is just a line_

_To get your hips to move with mine_

_Your scent is heavy, your drinks are cheap_

_We tell ourselves we don't need sleep_

I knew Edward has been with a lot of women. He was famous – girls were obviously throwing themselves at him, and I'd known this when I'd met him. He was open and honest about it. I remembered the conversation we had only a few days ago.

_Edward passed me a glass of wine, before sitting down with his own on the other side of the sofa. Our feet tangled in the middle._

"_Edward?" I asked tentatively. _

"_Yes, Bella?"_

"_Have you, uh, you know…"_

_He cocked his head to the side with a confused look in his eyes. _Damn, he was cute._ "Have I what, love?"_

"_Have you, um, have you…" This was embarrassing. "Have you been with a lot of girls?"_

_His expressed changed. It was not unwilling, but guarded. _

"_I know you must have. I mean, look at you. And being famous and all. And the magazines always say…" I continued. _

_He sighed. "I won't lie to you, Bella. Yes. I have. Possibly not as many as the gossip magazines would lead you to believe…but there was a time – which I'm not particularly proud of – that I was something of a man whore."_

_It was what I was expecting to hear, but I couldn't help my stomach drop slightly. How could this man with so much experience, who could have any girl he wanted, settle for me? He would get bored…just like _he _did. _

_He must have seen my face drop because his eyes grew a little wider and he reached over to me. "Bella. Bella, love. I really like you. More than any of those other girls." He placed a small kiss to my forehead. "You are smart," he added, kissing me nose. "Beautiful." _Kiss._ "Sexy." _Kiss. _"And so much better than those other girls." He drew back, looking me in the eyes. "Ok? And I want to be with you."_

_I smiled, leaning forward to touch our lips again. I believed him. This was different. Different for him, and different for me. _

_I wouldn't let my past drag me down. I was walking in with my eyes wide open._

_This was different._

Emmett was asleep, so I kept myself entertained by listening to Edward's voice. His album was amazing, but one song had caught my attention. I didn't have a title, merely called 'Bonus Track' on Emmett's iPod.

"Emmett?" I asked quietly as he began to rouse.

"Yeah, Bellybutton?"

"Do you know what this song is about? The one that's the bonus track?"

He rubbed his fists against his eyes. "Which one is it?"

"You're at the start of it," I informed him. By turning the volume up, it was possible just to make out mumblings. I recognised the voice of Emmett asking something and Edward responding with 'Yeah, in a minute'.

"Oh, yeah. I know the one. Secret bonus track."

"Do you know what it's about?" I asked again. The music had started again, just an acoustic guitar.

Emmett shifted in his seat to face me more. "Isn't the point of music that whole you make your own meaning crap?"

"You're avoiding the question, Emmett."

_The world gets too heavy_

_I retreat within my head_

_You draw me out again _

_So I turn to you instead_

Edward's voice was smooth and easy, the soulful voice that he used when he was just singing in the house.

"I don't know what to tell you, Bells."

_The crowds, they cheer, and say_

_Oh, it's good to have you back,_

_They don't know it's easy to take the lead,_

_When you're running on a different track_

"You do know what it's about," I insisted. "You're one of his best friends."

_My friends, they keep on calling me,_

_Say it's good to see you smile,_

_Hey, sit down, pull up a chair,_

_Why don't we sit and talk for a while?_

_I hate to see the light in their eyes fade,_

_As I tell them I have to go,_

_But you're the one waiting for me,_

_They don't understand, they don't know_

"Yeah, I know what it's about," he admitted.

_Let's slip away, let's slip away,_

_The feeling fades when I'm with you,_

_Let's slip away, let me slip away,_

_And spend eternity wrapped up in you._

"Maybe you should ask Edward about it."

_Take off your rose coloured glasses,_

_See me as I am,_

_They tell me, they tell me,_

_That this wasn't part of the plan,_

_They say, they say,_

_They say, they misunderstood,_

_They put on their fake brave smiles,_

_They say, all the things they know they should_

"Should I be worried?" My voice is low, hesitant, even to my own ears.

_Let you go, let you go,_

_They say you only hold me down, _

_March me in to the see,_

_Watch us drown,_

_Watch me drown._

"Why should you be worried, Bellybutton?"

_Let's slip away, let's slip away,_

_The feeling fades when I'm with you,_

_Let's slip away, let me slip away,_

_And spend eternity wrapped up in you._

"He obviously loved her. Whoever she is."

_They tell me, I am, _

_I am stronger, stronger than I think_

_They tell me, just keep on swimming,_

_Stand on shore lines as I sink_

_We are, we are, the young ones,_

_We are the clichéd hearts,_

_We are the mourners, of the morning,_

_As we, as we come apart._

"Don't worry, Bellybutton," he answered. "He loves you more."

**Hmmmmmmmmm.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Dear marvellous readers,**

**There's a bit of a gap between this and the last chapter. Don't worry. You didn't miss anything. **

**I won't make promises for next chapters, because, frankly, I don't know when it will be.**

**Love as always,**

**Enjoy.**

**BPOV**

"You gonna be ok, Bellyrina?" Emmett called. The taxi driver gave an irritated huff as he gave the clock on the dashboard a pointed look. Emmett had asked me if I was going to be ok at least five times, and I answered just the same as the last four times.

"I'll be fine, Emmett! Go. I can walk in to a hotel on my own."

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow!" I smiled, pushing the door of the taxi shut and jumping back quickly as the driver sped off, leaving me on the curb side.

The hotel that they'd dropped me off at was big. No just big, but gigantic, impressive, and I think it's safe to assume, fairly expensive. Exactly what you'd expect from a big music star. The door was opened for me as I walked towards it and I trailed in, immediately feeling out of place in my comfy jeans and pull along suitcase.

"Thank you," I said politely to the doorman, who was decked out in a full uniform.

"Would you like help with your luggage, ma'am?" he asked enthusiastically. He was young, with russet coloured skin, sleek black hair and happy eyes. I felt a pang of recognition in my stomach, but dismissed it. It was just a coincidence that he looked like _him_. I focused on the differences instead – the sharpness of his cheekbones, the honey colour of his eyes, the brightness of his smile.

"I'm ok, thank you. It's just the one suitcase, I can manage."

"Let me know if you need anything," he said. "Reception's just over there."

"Thanks, um…"

"Seth, ma'am," he answered.

"Thanks, Seth. I'm Bella, by the way."

"It was nice to meet you, Bella." He reached out a hand, which I shook. He turned his head to the door, noticing someone arriving, and shot me an apologetic smile. "Sorry, but work beckons."

"No problem." I left him to open the door, approaching the reception cautiously. A pretty red head sat behind the desk. She shot me a friendly smile.

"Welcome! How can I help you today, ma'am?"

"I'm, uh, looking for Edward Cullen? I believe he's staying here?"

Her smile became slightly forced. "I'm sorry, ma'am. I'm not at liberty to disclose that information to the public."

_Right. They probably have crazy fans after him all the time. _"He knows me. It's fine."

"I'm sorry, ma'am. I'll have to gain Mr Cullen's consent, and see some form of ID."

"Oh, he's not aware I'm coming, actually. It's meant to be a surprise. But I do have ID." I dug around in my carry-on bag, pulling out my passport and passing it over. She glanced at it quickly.

"I'm sorry, Miss Swan, but the security regulations on this matter are quite strict." She passed my passport back. "What is the exact nature of your relationship with Mr Cullen?"

_They won't believe girlfriend. I bet every girl tries to use that excuse. _"I work at his publicist's office. Emmett asked me to stop by and check on Mr Cullen."

Recognition flashed in her eyes. "Emmett McCarty?" she asked.

"Um, yes. I don't have any identification with me, unfortunately, but I can call him if you need confirmation?" I offered.

"That will be sufficient," she said.

"Great!" I pulled my phone out of my pocket, dialling Emmett's number and silently cursing the fact that I didn't let him walk me in after all. It rang three times before he answered.

"Bellybutton! What's up? You get in ok?"

"Um, hey, Emmett. Would you possibly be able to talk to the receptionist here and confirm that I do in fact work for you?"

Well, this was awkward. I avoided the eyes of the receptionist. "Sure, sure, pass me over."

"Thanks, Emmett." I held out the phone to the red head, who took it gingerly and held it up to her ear.

"Could you confirm her name and the fact that she does work for you?" She paused. "Yes, that's ok. Thank you, Mr McCarty." She smiled, passing back the phone to me. "That seems to be in order, Miss Swan. Would you like a copy of the key?"

"Yeah, that would be, um, great." I lifted the phone to my ear. "Thank you, Emmett."

"No problem, Baby Bell. March your little ass up there. Room 602, the suite."

"602, awesome."

"Keep safe, little girl. See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow." We rang off, and I deposited my phone back in my bag. The receptionist was waiting patiently, a key card in her hand. "Sorry about that."

"It's no problem, Miss Swan. I hope you have an enjoyable stay. Please let me know if you or Mr Cullen require anything."

I took the key card from her. "I will do. Thanks again."

I practically skipped to the elevator, dragging my sorry little suitcase across the shiny marble floors, but I didn't care, because I was going to see Edward.

**EPOV**

"No, thanks, Tanya. It's been a long day. I just want to sleep."

"Eddie," she whined down the phone. "I can help you relieve some…tension."

"Really, Tanya. No thanks." The car pulled to a stop. "I need to get going. We're at the hotel."

"Well if you change your mind…" she purred.

_Ugh, no._ I hung up without saying goodbye.

I pushed my sunglasses up and pulled down my cap a little lower on my head, trying to disguise my unruly hair.

"Are you ready, Mr Cullen?"

I nodded. We were parked around the back, hoping to head off the crowd of teenage girls that had gathered around the front of the hotel. Where they got their information, I would never know. Rabid fans can get information more effectively that some of the top investigators when it comes to pop stars, it would seem.

"Stick close to me, sir," Sam instructed. I followed behind his giant form through the blissfully empty, although a lot less glamorous, back alley and in to the worker's door. A few of the workers glanced up, their eyes sliding past Sam to me. "All clear, Mr Cullen, sir."

"Thanks, Sam," I muttered, refusing to make eye contact with them. "I'll head up to my room."

"I need to discuss security issues with reception. Call me if you need anything, sir."

I nodded automatically as I slipped out and up the back stairs. The same old routine. It was beginning to get to me. All I wanted was to crawl in to my own bed, where the pillows smelt of strawberries, and I could pull Bella's warm form in to my arms whenever I wanted.

I hated touring. Especially, now, when I knew Bella was waiting at home for me. I wanted her so much. There was an ache of homesickness stronger than I'd ever felt before.

I sighed.

_God, I miss you, Bella._

The lock beeping brought me back to reality. I had been too busy thinking of Bella to notice that I had already reached my door, and opened it. I stepped in gratefully, not bothering to lock it, and pulling off my stupid cap and glasses, stripping off my clothes and heading straight towards the shower.

The heat of the water felt perfect against my muscles. It had been a long day – the fans here were crazy, and the security team had insisted on accompanying me everywhere. One of the fans had managed to slip past them and grab on to my arm. She'd been 'escorted' away, leaving scratch marks in the process.

All I wanted was to slump in to bed, and call Bella. I shut off the water.

"YOU FUCKING BITCH!"

**BPOV**

The elevator ride seemed to last forever, and then some. All I wanted was to see Edward, and now he was only a few mere meters away, I was even more impatient.

I clutched the card key in my hand as the elevator came to a stop. There were only two doors that I could see: one next to the elevator and one on the other side. I glanced at the nearest door. The plaque read 602. This was it.

I had to remind myself not to throw myself at him and ravage him against the door. At least not straight away…

The lock beeped at me, and turned green. I pushed it open.

My eyes swept quickly over the scene, my mouth seeming to function quicker than my brain as I shouted, "YOU FUCKING BITCH."

She was spread out on the bed, black panties and high heels on, and nothing else. Her hair was perfectly disarrayed, as she leisurely flicked through a magazine. As she noticed me, her eyes narrowed in distaste, her sneer painted with bright red lipstick.

"Yes, little girl?" Tanya hissed. "Can't you see we're a little busy here?"

A door to the side opened, revealing Edward. My heart unwillingly flipped, taking him in – the drops of water that clung deliciously to his skin, the way his hair stuck up haphazardly, the way the towel hung lowly on his hips – while my mind raced to make sense of the situation.

"Tanya? Bella? What the fuck is going on?" He looked up at me questioningly.

"Bella," Tanya sneered. "The little maid girl! How cute!"

Tears pricked at the back of my eyes. "You're a bitch," I said, my voice low and steady, despite the turmoil of feelings that were bubbling inside me. Rage. Hurt. Rejection.

"For God's sake, Tanya. Cover yourself up," Edward snapped. "Bella? What's happening? Why are you here?" He took a step towards me, holding out his arms.

Anger. Sadness. Self-pity.

My teeth clenched, my heart racing, as I reached behind me for the door. Images were assaulting my mind – A pretty dark haired girl on all fours, Jake thrusting in to her from behind, laughing at me, they were both lacking at me – and now it was happening again.

And I was feeling it again.

Edward, Edward who was nothing like Jake.

And yet it was happening again. My heart was breaking again.

Edward, and his movie star.

I don't belong. I've never belonged.

It was happening again. I was being replaced again.

Would it ever stop happening?

**EPOV**

I grabbed a towel, wrapping it around my waist quickly. Something was wrong, and as I flung the door open and raced to take in my surroundings, I saw exactly what that was.

_What the fuck?_

Tanya lay across the bed, mostly undressed. "Tanya?" I turned my head, feeling a leap in my chest. "Bella?" I struggled to remember what was happening. Tanya, who I had repeatedly turned down. Who I had expected to eventually turn up. But Bella? Bella was not here – but she was. Here and beautiful and... "What the fuck is going on here?"

"Bella," Tanya sneered. "The little maid girl! How cute!"

I was frozen. _Oh, crap. She didn't think…?_

Bella's skin paled. I wanted to run over to her and scoop her in to my arms, hold her to me and kiss her, to tell her it was alright. Not at all what she thinks.

I surveyed the scene again. God, this looked bad. Very, very bad.

"You're a bitch," she whispered.

_Damn it, damn it, damn it. _ "For God's sake, Tanya. Cover yourself up," I growled. I needed to sort this out. Had something bad happened to bring her here? Was someone hurt? Was _she _hurt? "Bella? What's happening? Why are you here?"

She flinched backwards as I reached towards her. Her eyes weren't the same – empty, distant, hurt.

"Why don't you tell me what's happening, Edward?" she said now, those stranger's eyes turning to me. "This…Tanya's a bitch. I expected this. But you – you ASSHOLE! You- you –"

"Oh, run home, maid girl," Tanya hissed. "What does it matter to you?"

"BECAUSE I FUCKING LOVE HIM! THAT'S WHY IT MATTERS!"

_Because I fucking love him. _

_Because I fucking love him._

She loves me.

She loves _me._

_She _loves me.

She _loves _me.

Oh fuckity, fuck fuck.

She managed to find the door handle, and stumbled backwards out of the room.

"No – Bella – wait!" I lunged for her as she backed out, my fingers touching the edge of her coat.

"You don't get to fucking touch me," she said lowly, taking steps further and further down the hall.

I shouted after her. "But Bella! No – It's not like that! Fuck, fuck, fuck. I love you! I fucking love you, ok?"

But she was already gone.

**Well, that sucks, dunnit?**


	18. Chapter 18

**Dear spectacular readers,**

**That was a little rough, but we're cool, yeah? **

**I'm soo close to 100 reviews, and, well, you know…**

**Love as always,**

**Enjoy.**

**EPOV**

"Fuck! Fuck fuck fuck fuck!" She fucking loved me. This was so – so fucking messed up. No wonder she'd thought – fuck! I whirled round, facing the still scantily clad Tanya. "What the _fuck _are you still doing here?"

She kept her cool blue eyes on me as she reached for the robe that she'd brought. "Fucking the maid, are we, Edward?"

"No! I'm not _fucking the maid _Tanya." I resisted the urge to pull out my hair, a habit that I'd grown out of as a teenager. "Her name's Bella. She's fucking perfect – beautiful and smart and kind and funny and so much better than me – but she's fucking mine, ok? And I love her. Alright? I LOVE HER."

Her expression barely changed, arching just the one eyebrow. "Well then what the fuck are _you _still doing here?"

"I fucking – what?"

"You should be chasing after her, you asshole." She pulled her robe on, and then noticing I hadn't moved, said, "Now. Go."

"I should be chasing after her." My brain clicked in to place. "Fuck! I've gotta go!"

"Finally, he gets it. I'll let myself out. But you might want to put some clothes on first."

Remembering I was only wearing a towel, I reached for a pair of jeans, tugging them on to my legs like a crazy man. "Why are you helping Tanya?"

She handed me my phone. "I thought she was just your little bed warmer. I won't mess with _love_."

"Thanks." I shrugged on my top, and ran to the door, calling out a goodbye over my shoulder. I didn't stop running until I reached the reception. My shoes squeaking on the floor received some scandalised looks, but I didn't care, I just kept going.

"Sir," Sam greeted me at the door. His expression registered no surprise.

"I'm going to find Bella," I told him. "Have you seen her?"

"I'm afraid that there's a crowd outside. You'll have to exit around the back."

"I don't have time to go around the back. I need to get to Bella."

I made to dodge around him, but Sam stepped in front of me, effectively cutting me off. "I will arrange a car to wait around the back for you, Sir."

"There's no fucking time. Bella's out there." He didn't move. "Bella is out in a strange city on her own and it's getting dark."

"If you'll step this way, Sir, we can commence a search."

"Fuck! Fine. Get the fucking car." The seconds were ticking away. It would be quicker by car than walking or finding a cab, anyway.

"Right away, Sir. Follow me."

He began walking and I followed behind, pulling out my phone as I went. Bella's phone went straight to answerphone, which I had expected. I chose a different number. It rang three times before he answered.

"Hey, man. What's up? Did you like your surprise?"

"Emmett. Bella's gone. Have you heard anything?"

"Gone? Gone where?"

I let out a frustrated breath. "Gone. From the hotel."

"You've lost me, man. Why is she gone?"

Because I'm a fucking prick. "Misunderstanding. Have you heard from her?"

"No, man. I'll try ringing her."

"Straight to answerphone. You don't think I thought of that?" We stepped in to the back alley again, revealing a car. "I've gotta look for her. Call me if you hear anything."

"Will do. Good luck, man." I cut the call off and slipped in to the back of the car. It pulled off smoothly as soon as I pulled the door shut.

"Where to, Mr Cullen?" the driver asked.

Fuck. Where would she go? She had no idea where she was going. Less clue than I had. So where would she be heading?

The memory hit me like a lightning bolt.

I found her in the third IHOP we visited. She was in a booth nearest the window, facing away from me, but I knew it was her from a glimpse of her shiny mahogany hair.

I signalled to Sam and took a hesitant step towards her.

Was this really the best plan? What if she didn't want to see me? What if she just wanted me to disappear? And yet my feet were carrying me towards her.

"Stop being so damn creepy and sit down, Edward."

**BPOV**

I saw his reflection in the window as soon as he entered. I saw the way the waitress looked up with interest, and in turn motioned to her friend. I saw the way he completely ignored her as his feet brought him closer to me, leaving him lurking just a few meters behind me.

_He'd followed me. He'd found me. _

"Stop being so damn creepy and sit down, Edward," I said, just loud enough for him to hear. I was trying to figure out my feelings. Hurt, of course, was squeezing my heart as if it was held in a fist. Anger, bubbling just below the surface. The walk here had helped that emotion, though. The sound of my feet hitting the pavement forced the rage a little further away, leaving other feelings room to rush in and consume me. Like confusion, surprise, and just a hint of regret. My voice didn't betray this though. I just sounded tired.

Edward hesitated for a second before closing the gap and sliding in opposite me.

"Hey," he said quietly.

"Hey." There was a beat of silence. "You found me."

"Yeah," he answered. "I found you."

We were quiet again.

"I want you to know that nothing happened. I know that it looks bad. I know that given me, uh, track record, that maybe you won't believe me. But I love you. I adore you. I don't want any harm to ever come to you – especially not when I'm the cause of it. Seeing that look in your eyes, well, it killed me. I am so sorry that I was the one to put it there. I'm more than sorry. I need a word bigger than sorry." He paused, looking closely at me. I met his gaze – he could hide nothing in those gorgeous, green eyes – and saw nothing but love and hope. "I just hope that you can forgive me."

"Nothing happened?"

"Nothing happened," he confirmed. "Tanya and I, we, uh, used to…she didn't realise anything had changed. But it has. Because I have you now. I'd never do that to you."

"I believe you," I murmured. "I'm sorry I overreacted so badly."

"You had every right to over react."

"No! I should have let you explain. It's just, when –" His phone rang, cutting him off. He pulled it out of his pocket, noticing the name and looked at me apologetically. "It's Emmett. I kind of rang him."

"He's probably worried. Answer it."

"Thanks," he murmured, before picking it up. "Hey. Yeah, I did. You didn't have to – Yeah, she's safe. We're talking. What? She wants to? Why?" He paused for a second, his brow furrowed. "Um, I guess so, ok." He removed the phone from his ear slowly and handed it towards me, mouthing, "Wants to talk to you."

"Hello?" I answered.

"Is this Bella?" a nasally voice said. _Tanya. _"It's Tanya."

"Yeah, I got that," I answered. Edward's face flickered in amusement. "What do you want?"

"I want you to forgive Edward. That boy's crazy about you." _Oh, wow. Unexpected. _"This is totally unprovoked, in case you think this is some plan of his. Nothing happened between us."

"Yeah, he, uh, mentioned that."

"So you'll forgive him and live happily ever after?"

"Yeah?" I answered, my voice rising at the end. I would forgive him. I knew that from the moment I'd reached the IHOP. You don't let go of the ones you love. "Yeah."

"Just like a movie!" she squeaked. "Perfect. Bye bye now."

The line cut off before I had the chance to return her farewell. "That was interesting."

He grimaced. "Sorry. She demanded she talk to you."

"It's no problem." I shuffled to the side of booth. "Come on, let's go have some make up sex."

"Fuck, Bella, I need you," he panted in to my ear. His hands had been all over me during the ride back, and as much as I wanted him to just take me on those leather seats, I wasn't much in to exhibition. Now we were in the lift, his hands were slowly snaking their way under my top.

"Edward," I said, sounding more like a plea that the warning I'd intended it to be.

His lips were pressed against my neck, sending my pulse crazy. He kissed his way up to my ear. "No man can blame me Bella. It's been too long. Too long since I've had your sweet taste on my tongue. Too long since I've let my hands discover the silkiness of your flesh. Too long since I've felt your warmth wrapped around my cock."

_Holy fuck. _When the elevator doors pinged open, I practically dragged him to the door.

"Fuck!" he yelled, fumbling for the key card. I slipped my hand in to his pocket, accidentally grazing his cock in the process as I located it and slipped it in to the door. "You don't play fair, Bella." He pushed me against the door as soon as we were inside, his hands caging my own as he attacked my neck with his lips. I struggled against him, trying to unlock my hands but he ignored me. Moving both of my wrists to one of his hands, he used his free hand to attack the button on my jeans, sliding them down my legs as fast as possible before tugging off his own.

"This will not be soft and sweet, my love," he growled in to my ear. He lined himself up. "You're going to wrap those pretty little legs around my waist while I fuck you. Hard and fast. Right here against the wall." I screamed out as he thrust powerfully in to me causing me to knock my head against the wall, but I didn't care.

"Harder," I moaned, linking my ankles around his back and pulling him closer towards me. "I need more, please."

He groaned, swallowing my moans in his mouth as he thrust harder still. "Fuck, fuck, baby."

"Yes! Edward, please, yes!"

"Come for me, Bella." I exploded, feeling him release inside me a few seconds later.

"Bella?" Edward asked. We were lying in the hotel's bed together. He was curled around me, drawing lazy circles on my skin while I used his bicep as a pillow.

"Yeah?"

"Before, when we were at IHOP. I know you don't like talking about your past, but it sounded like…Did someone cheat on you?"

I sighed, knowing I should have expected it. Edward had been honest with me, and I know he deserved the same from me.

"You don't have to talk about it," he said quietly when I didn't answer. "I was just wondering."

"It's fine, Edward. I knew it would come up eventually." I rolled back slightly so I could see his face. "Are you sure you want to know?"

"Only if you want to tell me."

I took a deep breath. It had been years, but the memories were still painful. "You know, I told you about why I came back from England? Because my Dad was ill?" He nodded. "Well, when it finally…when he passed away, Jake was great. He had always been my friend. Our Dads were best friends…so we were close. When Charlie got ill, we got closer. Through grief, I guess. He tried to kiss me, and – well, I wasn't sure. But I let him, anyway." Edward's grip on my waist tightened slightly. I blew out a breath through my teeth. I hadn't even got to the hard part yet. "He told me my Dad would have wanted it. I had no one when he died. Mom couldn't look after me. So when Jake said I should move in with him…I just did. It seemed sensible.

It was fine at first. He had a job at an auto shop, and I had a little bit of money that Charlie had left me. I tried to help with the rent, but he – he told me he'd look after me, if I looked after him. I – I lost my virginity to him. I wished I'd have waited, but I thought we were in love. I thought he cared about me. I guess he did. Just not enough for him not to run off with someone else."

Edward's grip was now noticeably tighter. His jaw was tense, and eyes shut. I kissed the spot behind his ear. "Do you want to hear this?"

"No," he said in a strained voice. "But carry on."

"I came home one day and he was having sex on the sofa with some girl of the reservation," I said in a rush, trying to keep the images in my mind from bombarding me by focusing on Edward's face.

"_Jealous, Bella?" he laughed. "Maybe Leah should move in instead. She's a much better fuck."_

_He kept thrusting, never breaking his pace as the pretty girl underneath him continued to moan._

"_Of course, she's not the whore that you are."_

_I backed out of the apartment, to the sounds of their laughter._

"I was gone within the day. I waited until I knew he was at work, grabbed some stuff and left. I moved to that apartment, got the crappy catering job and…well, you know the rest."

He hadn't said anything.

"Edward? Are you ok?"

"Am I fucking ok? Am _I _ok?" He yanked me closer to him, so we were bare skin to bare skin. "I want to kill him."

"Shh," I soothed. "I've got you now."

He sighed, nuzzling in to my hair. "Me and you, now."

"Mmhmm," I mumbled in agreement, stifling a yawn.

"You're tired," he said. "Sleep, my Bella."

**Hmm. A little more about Bella's past there.**

**See you next chapter. **


	19. Chapter 19

**Dear remarkable readers,**

**You got me to 100 reviews! I love you guys. :]**

**Love as always,**

**Enjoy.**

**BPOV**

I woke up to the sound of clattering the next morning.

"Edward," I mumbled, still half-asleep, "It's a good job you can sing, 'cause you'd make a crap ninja."

"Oh, shit, babe. I didn't mean to wake you." He came to my side, stroking my hair softly before leaning down to place a kiss on my cheek.

I blinked a few times, trying to get my blurry eyes to come in to view. "What time is it?"

"Just after six."

"In the morning?"

He chuckled. "Yes, love, in the morning."

"What are you doing up this early? Shh. Sleepy time."

"I'd love to, Bella. But we're driving to Virginia today."

"What?" I shuffled up in bed. "That's like a seven hour drive!"

"Seven and a half," he corrected. "This life's not as glamorous as it seems, I'm afraid."

"Crazy fools. Why are you so goddamn chipper?" I grumbled.

"Chipper? Must be something to do with the gorgeous woman in my bed."

"You know what would be better? If she could stay there."

He smiled, kissing me on the forehead. It was hard to keep scowling at him when he did stuff like that. "Come on, love. You can sleep on the bus."

"Tour bus?" I asked. He nodded. "Where abouts are we going?"

"Norfolk," he answered.

"I went there on holiday with my Mom once. They speak funny." He gave me a funny look. "I mean the English Norfolk."

"Riiight. Come on, sleepy head. We need to leave in half an hour."

I was tired. Really, really tired. Edward wasn't kidding when he said it wasn't as glamorous as it seems. We drove all across the country, sometimes barely making it in time for Edward to go out on stage. He came back to the hotel every night dead on his feet, practically collapsing on to the bed. Which was a shame, because something about him singing on stage made me really really horny.

The first few shows, I'd hung out back stage for the whole show. I'd met the main support band, The Volturi, who were quite sweet, if not slightly freaky. Especially after I'd found that no, the lead singer's name was actually Aro, and that wasn't a stage name. I had, however, taken a dislike to their sometimes female lead vocalist, Heidi, who just couldn't take a hint, and insisted on draping herself all over Edward at any opportunity. Not that he seemed to notice.

On one of the nights, I'd kissed Edward on the cheek, wished him luck, and disappeared to find a place in the audience. He'd pouted, but after I'd promised I'd be back before he finished his last song, he'd agreed.

The support band was just finishing as I snuck down in to the standing area. I took advantage of the fact that many were disappearing to get drinks in order to sneak to the front. If I was gonna be in the audience, I was gonna at least be able to see his pretty face.

My phone beeped, and I pulled it out to see a message from Edward.

**Have you found a seat? X**

I shot back a quick text.

_**Shouldn't you be worrying about your performance? X**_

A few seconds later, he text back.

**I want to know where to look when I dedicate a song to you x**

_**You wouldn't! x**_

**What if I get nervous? I need to look at you to reassure me x **

_**Then you'd look towards the front of the standing section. But you won't need to. Edward Cullen doesn't get nervous x**_

**I love you x**

_**I love you. Good luck x**_

I was smiling like a fool as I slipped my phone back in to my pocket. People has returned from the bar, and were shuffling forwards against me, pushing me in to the man in front of me repeatedly. I tapped him on the shoulder.

"Yeah?" he said loudly, shouting over the pumped in music. He was young, about my age.

"I'm sorry about the whole squash thing."

He quirked an eyebrow. "All about the gig experience, isn't it?"

"I don't know. I don't do this very often." I smiled at him. "I'm sorry anyway."

"Do you want to come in front of me?" he asked.

"I couldn't. I don't want to block your view."

He chuckled. I couldn't hear it over the music, but I felt the vibrations due to our close proximity. "I can see over you. Don't worry about it."

"Well, thank you then! I'm Bella."

"Peter," he introduced himself. He stepped back, gesturing for me to go past him. I squeezed through the small gap, attempting not to brush against him too much, and sort of failing. Any awkwardness, however, was avoided by a sudden roar from the crowd as Edward and his band appeared on stage.

I cheered louder than anyone.

The music started, immediately launching in to one of his most popular songs. I tried not to melt as he leaned in to the microphone, closing his eyes as he sang the first lines.

_I'm not a cliché, not a déjà vu_

_I'm not like anything you've seen before_

The feeling was electric, as I screamed along with the lyrics just like everyone else. A general hum of excitement hung over the crowd, connected for just a while by a common love for the man up on stage. It felt good to be part of it.

The song wound down, and he pushed his hair back from his face. He grinned bashfully as he stepped up to the microphone. "Hi, everyone. I'm Edward Cullen – " He was cut off by another scream from the crowd. "It's sure great to see you all. Thanks for coming out." The screamed again. Someone from the crowd screamed an 'I love you'. A few people screamed in agreement. "Um, thanks for that. I love all my fans too."

He looked down at the front of the crowd, his eyes scanning the faces, and I'm assuming, looking for me.

"I love you more, Edward," I shouted. I felt my cheeks heat up as Peter chuckled behind me.

He squinted in to the crowd as the spotlight focused on us, his eyes finally found mine. He smirked, throwing me a barely noticeable wink, before looking out to the general crowd again. "Alright, this next one's an older one. Sing along if you know the words."

He glanced over his shoulder, nodding to the drummer who started the countdown, before they launched in to their second song.

The played two more songs before Edward started to talk again. I'd been watching intently, trying not to notice the way the sweat made his top cling to him, or the way his long fingers skilfully worked the guitar strings, and instead focusing on how amazing his voice was and the way he seemed so at home on the stage.

Then he stopped playing fair.

"So guys, you enjoying yourselves?" He laughed a little at the answering cheer. "That's good. 'Cause I sure as hell am. So this next one…you might want to escort any little ears away…'cause this song is about fucking."

_Fuck_. There goes my cool.

He smirked a little, and I wondered if he knew what he was doing to me, but as the song started, he refused to look my way.

_Wanna make you scream_

_Wanna make you writhe_

_Wanna make you moan_

_Wanna make you come alive_

I gulped. I couldn't take my eyes away from those fingers. I knew what they could do.

_Gonna get you swear_

_Gonna make you sweat_

_Gonna get you hot_

_Gonna make you…yeah_

He gave a cheeky grin as he pushed his guitar around his back, grasping the microphone with both hands as the music hit the crescendo.

_Don't you, don't you love my fingers on your hips_

_Don't you, don't you love my tongue between your lips_

Oh, fuck. My mind started to wonder, remembering exactly how that felt. A bump from behind me pulled me out of my lust filled fantasies. A stray elbow knocked me in the side.

"Careful there," Peter said. Another elbow flew towards me, grazing my shoulder. "Don't get caught in the mosh pit."

"Ow," I said lamely, rubbing my shoulder.

"Crap, did they catch you? Look, stand this side of me." I shuffled to his other side, his large form providing an effective barrier between us.

"Thanks," I said to him, but it was lost over the sound of the cheering as Edward bought his song to an end.

They launched straight in to another song, one that I'd recognised as off the new album. I'd listened to it on the flight. I'd smiled to myself as he changed the original 'blue eyes' lyric to 'brown'.

"We're gonna slow it down a little bit now. This is a new song. And, well, this is the first time I've done it live." He waited a beat for the yells to calm down before continuing. "So forgive me if this goes wrong, and I mess up the words. I'll do my best." He handed his guitar over to one of the sound techs and accepted an acoustic one. The rest of the band removed their instruments and made their way off stage. "The guys here are gonna take a little break while we play this one, but they'll be back in a bit. So, right. This new song, I want to dedicate to someone special."

Crap! That was gonna be me, wasn't it? I didn't know whether to be dazzled or mortified. Edward didn't really give me much chance to choose, because he was already hopping down off stage. Two security guards rushed to his side immediately.

"There's a pretty special girl in the audience tonight. She's probably trying to hide in the audience at the moment, but I'm not going to let her. " I stopped trying to surreptitiously dodge behind Peter. He knew me too well. "Now where is she?"

The lights came down on the front section of the audience. Many of the people around me started to look around wildly, no doubt looking for a super modal look alike to appear.

"Bella," he said in a sing song voice. "Come up to the front."

Peter looked down at me in surprise. "He means you?"

"Maybe. Sorta." I answered. Edward was standing on his tiptoes now, trying to locate me in the crowd. When he saw me, he smiled, crooking a finger to motion me to move forward.

"There she is," he relayed in to the microphone. "Would you guys mind letting Bella through?"

The girls on the front row stopped trying to stroke his hair, or his arm, or whatever it was they were doing, and obediently shuffled to the side slightly. Peter nudged me forward gently before the general push of people propelled me forward. As I reached him, his smile got bigger and his eyes sparkled with mischief.

"I hate you," I murmured to him.

"I know you do," he smirked. "I'm guessing you don't want to come up on stage?"

"No, thank you."

"Didn't think so." He brought the microphone back to his mouth then. "Thank you guys. I want you all to say hello to Bella!" There was another scream, which I'm guessing was my hello. "This new song, I wrote just a few weeks ago. It's a little bit different from my other stuff. But I hope you guys like it. And Bella, I _really _hope you like it, too."

He removed the microphone again, leaning in close to me. "You doing ok? You're not get squished or anything? You can come over the barriers."

I tried to answer without my voice breaking, and showing the emotion that had hit me. He'd written a song for me. Not just dedicated a song, but actually written it with me in mind.

"Shh. I'm fine. Go perform."

He gave me another breath taking smile, and nodded. "Hey, guys, make sure she doesn't get to squashed, ok?" he added to the security guards.

I rolled my eyes, but he was already back at the edge of the stage, hoisting himself up with more grace than the situation sound have allowed.

Placing the microphone in a stand, he said, "Ok, ok! We're ready to go! You guys ready?" He gave an experimental strum on his guitar. "Here we go."

The song started off slowly and carefully, almost hesitantly. His eyes were closed, his muscles in his arm tense as he became more confident.

_Spilt red wine on a white designer dress_

_Smashed glass in your hand and your clothes are a mess_

_And then you look at me, with those big brown eyes_

_You see right to the heart of me, you see through my disguise_

_And I know the sun can't shine every day,_

_But I'll pick you up and carry you away._

_Sometimes it feels like it'll never shine again,_

_But with you here, I can deal with the rain._

_Cause for you, I want to be, to be the superhero,_

_Yes, for you, I'd save the world just for a smile,_

_Buy you diamonds, silver, gold,_

_Find the cure to growing old,_

_Stop time, just 'cause you wanna stay a while_

_Yes, for you, I want to be, to be the good guy_

_Yes, for you, I'd be protector of the earth_

_Write you a song just for your blush_

_Travel the world so our fingertips brush_

_So I can just even half of what you're worth_

I impatiently wiped away the wetness on my cheeks, not wanting to take my eyes off him for even a second as he wound the song down. His eyes immediately jumped to where I was standing, and our gazes locked. The love and adoration swirling in them hit me, fast and heavy, like a blow to the stomach. I felt winded. There were thousands of people in the crowd, screaming and calling for him, but it all faded away. Because it was just him and me. This beautiful, wonderful man loved _me_. I'd never get over it.

"I love you," I mouthed.

He smiled widely at me, mouthing it back. I cursed my traitor tears that were still coming down my cheeks.

"Thanks, guys," Edward shouted now in to the microphone. "I think we've maybe got time for a couple more songs…Let's get the guys back on. So this one is one off my first album. You might have heard of it. It's called _Rebel With A Cause._"

I was buzzing. The very blood in my veins seemed to have been replaced with electricity. I needed to get to Edward. The mosh pit had started again as the sounds of Edward's first hit single started. I wasn't going to make it through that, which left me one option. I tapped on the shoulder of the security man closest to me.

"Yes ma'am?" he said seriously.

"Um, would it be possible to come over this railing so I can get backstage, please?"

"Do you have backstage clearance?" he asked. I pulled the pass that had been given to me from around my neck. "That's all in order, ma'am. I'm going to need to lift you over the barrier, if that's ok."

"Uh, yeah, sure." He nodded once before stepping closer to the barrier and grabbing around my waist. I let out a little shriek of surprise, trying not to fidget and accidentally kick someone in the face as he lifted me easily over the barrier and set me down. "Thanks," I said, slightly breathless.

"No problem ma'am. Just straight down, past the bar and through that door."

I smiled in thanks and chanced a quick glance at Edward. He was too busy on the other side of the stage to notice, thankfully. I'd grab a bottle of water and surprise him.

The bar was pretty much empty, and I was served straight away. I shouted a thanks and turned, bumping in to a familiar face.

"Peter! I wondered where you'd gone." I gestured for him to follow me closer towards the door where we could be heard without shouting.

He gave me a tight smile. "You and Edward, huh?"

"Yeah, sort of," I said awkwardly.

He shrugged. "Saves me the gruelling business of working up the nerve to ask for your number, I guess."

Oh! "Um, sorry. I didn't mean to…"

He held up his hand to stop me. "No need to explain. I should have known a pretty girl like you would have a boyfriend."

"Well, thanks," I said uncomfortably. Crap. "Do you want to meet him?"

"Meet who?"

"Edward. I was going backstage…do you want to maybe come and say hi? I'm sure I could wangle you an autograph or a picture or something."

Peter studied me carefully, until I began to flush under his scrutiny. "Seriously?"

"Um, yeah, why not?"

"That would be…" He blew out a long breath. "Awesome. That would be awesome."

"Cool. Let's go, then. Last song and I promised I'd be there when he came off." I pushed the door open, ignoring the 'employee only' sign on the door and gestured for him to follow. He trailed after my cautiously as we went down the non-descript corridor.

"Can I see your pass, please?" a woman at the end of the corridor said, glancing between us. I flashed my pass at her and she let us past, directing us towards the left.

We followed the signs for the stage, me almost at a run while Peter followed a few steps behind. I knew we were close when the noise level began to pick up. I continued, chasing the sounds of music until I came to the edge of the stage. Edward was still out there, along with his band, but he was now standing at the microphone, addressing the audience.

He finished his spiel, waving an exaggerated goodbye at the audience and laughing. He glanced in our direction quickly, spotting me and walking straight for me while his band members continued to troop off.

I threw my arms around his neck as soon as he was close enough, directing his lips to mine and kissing him furiously. His grip on me tightened, pulling my body closer to his as he kissed me back with equal passion.

"You were _so _good," I gasped as I came up for air. "Fuck, I love you so much."

He smirked against me skin, placing light kisses up my jaw to me ear. "Did you like it?"

"Of course I fucking liked it," I said breathlessly. "You don't play fair, Mr Cullen."

"_Fuck,_" he said, lowly so only I could hear it. "Call me that again."

"Later," I promised. His hands were roaming across my back now, slipping under my shirt to feel my bare skin. As much as I wanted to let him continue, I knew he had to do an encore. "You need to do your last song."

"Screw them. I want to do you."

I laughed which quickly turned in to a moan as he licked the shell of my ear. "Edward. Please. Go sing to your fans."

"Fine," he sighed, reluctantly releasing me from his grip. His band mates, plus Peter, were waiting patiently at the side. He grinned a little sheepishly.

"Go," I directed him, pushing gently on his back to get him moving.

Peter came closer to her as the returned to the stage. Bella felt herself blush at him witnessing her and Edward's, uh, reunion, but he seemed to have been oblivious to the whole thing.

"Those guys are amazing. You know that Dave's been playing the guitar since he was seven? That pretty awesome, right?"

"Yeah. Dave's a pretty cool guy. Funny as hell. He sucks at Trivial Pursuit though." I smiled at the memory of kicking his ass as we played on the tour bus. "I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to introduce you to Edward."

"No worries. Can I, uh, meet him after the encore?"

"Yeah, of course. I didn't bring you back here for nothing."

He smiled brightly. "Thank you so much for this. I don't know how to thank you, really."

"It's really no problem. Edward loves meeting his fans." _Most of the time. Except when they 'accidentally' rub themselves up him. I know I hate that._

"This is just the most awesome thing. I want to repay you."

"How about a hug?" I suggested. He smiled, opening his arms and allowing me to step inside them. He was a good hugger. Not as good as Edward, but pretty good. The perfect height for hugging, so my face rested just below his shoulder.

There was a roar from the crowd behind us signalling the end of the song, so I unwrapped my arms from around Peter. He held on a bit longer, whispering another 'thank you' in my ear before releasing me and smiling sheepishly. His eyes widened as he looked over my shoulder.

"I don't think we've been introduced."

**Well, well, well.**


	20. Chapter 20

**Dear amazing readers,**

**No notes/excuses.**

**Love as always,**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

**BPOV**

"I don't like him," he mumbled, his voice muffled slightly by my hair.

"It was just a hug."

"He took advantage of you."

"Edward, you have nothing to worry about. I love _you_. You know that," I told him. He grunted in response. "Look, he was nice to me when I was getting squashed. Can you please be courteous for just a few minutes? All he wants is a picture, maybe ask some questions."

"Fine," he agreed grumpily. "But I'm doing this for you."

"I know. And I love you for it. Now, let's meet your fans, hmm?"

He pulled away from me reluctantly but not before pressing a kiss in to my hair. I smiled reassuringly and grasped his hand in my own to tug him towards Peter. "This is Peter."

"Hi, Peter," he said. Peter's eyes darted between us quickly. His cheeks were still a little flushed, probably from the embarrassment or guilt of being caught hugging me. I gave him a little encouraging nod. This was turning out to be a lot more awkward than I'd thought.

"It's really great to meet you Mr. Cullen. Great show tonight."

"Thanks," Edward said, as I said "Call him Edward."

"Um, ok, Edward. Would you mind if I took a photo?"

"I can take it for you," I offered.

"No, I want you in it too, if that's ok?"

Edward's eyes narrowed slightly and shot me a look that said he wasn't particularly happy with it, which I ignored, taking it for his misguided jealousy and resentment.

"Sure, that's fine."

He shot me a broad smile and passed his camera to a random crew member who didn't look particularly surprised to have a camera thrust in to his hands. Peter took his place on Edward's other side, who stood stiffly as we both leaned in to his side. The camera flashed just as Edward poked me in the side, causing me to look up at him, as he smiled cheekily at me. In the second picture, I'm rolling my eyes.

"Thanks guys!" Peter said, reaching for his camera. He was oblivious to or ignoring Edward's antics. "And congratulations for a great show. I'm really glad I caught it."

"Mr Cullen," a crew member cut in. "Are you ready for the fans?"

"Yeah, sure, give me a minute." He sighed heavily, and waved them away. "I'm exhausted."

I traced a finger lightly across the bags under his eyes. "I didn't know you were doing a meet and greet tonight."

"I'm not. I'm just going out by merch. Maybe sign a few things." I brought my hand to his cheek and he leaned in to my touch. "Will you be ok here? Or you can go down to the van."

"I'll go see if they need any help with the merch."

"I'll miss you."

"I'll be in your line of sight."

"I'll still miss you."

"You're adorable."

It was another ten minutes before we finally got down to the merchandise stand. Edward insisted on walking down with me, and Peter trailed behind us. Once Edward had been waylaid by adoring fans, I slipped off to the merch stand. Maggie gladly accepted help, as Edward's appearance had brought in a new wave to the already busy stand, and people were jostling to buy posters and CDs to get signed.

I was glad for it, as it kept me busy while Edward signed and took pictures. It began to clear, leaving only a few late comers, including Peter.

"Hey, Peter, can I get you something?"

"Hey, Bella," he said happily. "I just wanted to thank you again for hooking me up. It was great meeting you, too."

"You, too. And I keep saying. It was no problem at all."

"I was wondering if, maybe, I could get your email address?" he asked nervously. "And send you the pictures?"

"Oh!" I shot a glance at Edward, who was busy posing with a group of fans. "Um, yeah, sure. I've got a pen here somewhere." I scribbled down my email address on to the back of one of the smaller posters we had, and handed it to him. "There you go. A free poster too."

"Bellaswan1013," he read out. "Thank you very much, Bella Swan."

He grinned one last time and waved.

"He was cute," Maggie said. "Friend of yours?"

"Sort of. Famous rock star is more my type though."

I was woken up that morning to the ringing of Edward's phone. The display said Emmett.

He didn't even let me get a hello in before he started.

"What the hell were you thinking, Edward? Don't you think you should discuss these things with me first? I know you're my best friend and all, but I will not hesitate to kick your ass."

"Emmett, its Bella. What are you yelling at?"

"Well, hello, Bella. What are you doing answering the asshole's phone? Not that you're any better. I should fire you right now."

"Edward's sleeping," I told him. "And I'm confused. What happened?"

"I'm talking about announcing his relationship. Dedicating a song? He couldn't have talked this through with publicist?"

"Maybe it's the fact that I'm half asleep, but I'm not sure I see the problem. It was sweet."

"Get dressed. I'll be at your room in ten."

He hung up, and I chucked the phone to the side. As tempting as climbing in to bed sounded, I knew that Emmett meant business. That meant waking Edward. No matter how cute he looked when he slept.

"Edward," I said, shaking his shoulder. "Wake up."

"No," he mumbled.

"Wakey wakey."

"No," he said again. "This is my lie in day."

"Emmett will be here in ten minutes."

"Don't care."

"He sounded mad."

"What about?"

"Apparently, no matter how cute and sexy I think a song is…Emmett thinks it was a bad idea."

He sighed, stretching his arms above his head in a way that made his muscles bulge enticingly and kicking off the cover. "Alright, I'm up."

I eyed his morning wood. "You sure are."

"Tease," he muttered.

"I'm getting changed before Emmett gets here."

"Here's the thing," Emmett said, as he arrived a few minutes later, armed with his laptop. Edward had managed to pull himself out of bed and pull on some sweats, and we now sat down wearily. "Edward dedicating a song, something that has never happened before, leads to giant publicity explosion. Heartbroken fans. Tons of rumours. And in case you haven't looked out the window this morning, a shit load of paparazzi."

Edward stood up and strode to the window, muttering a dull 'shit' and whatever he saw outside. I stayed put, looking over Emmett's shoulder as he opened up web page after web page. And there I was: a blurry shot of me walking past the barriers, a shot of the back of my head, me working at the merch stand, taken from a distance. The headlines all proclaimed the same thing. Edward Cullen had a new mystery girl.

"Shit is right," Emmett said. "Fortunately, they don't seem to have any clear shots of your face, which is a miracle in itself."

"They have pictures?" Edward hissed, appearing at Emmett's shoulder and scanning the page frantically. "Fuck! I am such an idiot!"

"Don't I know it," he agreed.

**EPOV**

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

Why was I such an idiot?

Of course they would go mad about it. I'd been so focused on surprising Bella, on making her happy that I hadn't even thought about the consequences. And now it had all backfired in my face. What a fucking mess.

"What are our options?" I asked Emmett.

"We're leaving today, which is a positive, but you've got some interviews, so we can't avoid it forever." He looked at me seriously, and I knew that this was definitely business Emmett. "Option one we release a statement saying that nothing is happening and you're just good friends."

I glanced over at Bella who was worrying her lip in her teeth as she read something on the laptop. "No. I don't like that. It's not true, and it's just a delay tactic."

"Option two, we release a statement saying that yes, you are in a relationship. Leads to a whole load of questions for you in interviews. Probably a paparazzi explosion for a while. Bella will get looked in to, and we're going to have a pile of rumours flying around."

I didn't particularly like that one either. "Is there any other options?"

"Option three, is we keep it quiet, and hope it blows over with minimal attention."

"Is that likely?"

"Frankly, no. More likely, it will just lead to paparazzi and rumours."

"So I can lie, or have crap written about us and pictures splashed all over the internet?"

"Well, to be honest, even if we fabricate a story, it will probably lead to paparazzi."

Of course it would. This was the problem of a life of fame. I glanced over at Bella, who was now looking at me. Her eyes were conflicted.

"Give us a minute?" I asked Emmett.

He nodded. "I need to check in at the office anyway."

We waited until the click of the door before I gently removed Bella's lower lip from her teeth with my thumb.

"It's bad?" she asked.

"That depends on your view of paparazzi. They're curious about you. They'll probably check in to your background, once they find your name." I had seen it happen before. Young, unknown girls splashed across magazines and picked apart. "I'm sorry, Bella. I should have thought before. I should have anticipated this…I fucked up."

"No, Edward, don't beat yourself up about this. We've been lucky so far." She smiled beautifully. "You're my rock star. Of course this was going to happen."

"What do you want to do?"

"I am tempted to demand you announce to the world that you're mine."

I leaned across the table to kiss his half-smiling lips. "I'd do it in a second, if that's what you want."

Our kiss was interrupted by a banging on the door and Emmett's voice announcing himself. After opening the door, he placed the laptop on the table.

"I'm afraid we may have to abandon options one and three. Your picture and name just hit Perez Hilton." He spun the laptop that he'd left around, quickly opening up the offending site. "Let's see the damage."

And there it was. A picture of Bella and I, smiling and each other with our faces mere inches apart, with crudely drawn hearts scribbled between our heads. I glanced at Bella.

"At least it's a good picture of me," she said. "Look, it says 'Bella Swan, home grown unknown, seems to have captured herself a rock star'."

I scanned further down the article. None of it seemed to have delved too much in to Bella, focusing rather on my rather chequered past. Phrases like 'heart breaker' and 'see how long this one lasts' jumped out at me, as well as the claim that I was 'romantically linked with Tanya Denali', which I must have missed myself.

"Not too bad," Emmett muttered after a few minutes. "But they called her Bella."

Bella shot me a confused glance. "My name is Bella?"

"No, your name is Isabella," he corrected. "People who know you call you Bella. Which means the source is someone who knows you."

"Someone who knows her?" I repeated. I turned the laptop to me, looking at the picture more closely. The background was dark, so it was unclear exactly where it was taken. But mostly, it wasn't familiar. "Who knows about us, other than you guys? Who took that picture?"

"Shit," Bella said quietly. "I think I know."

My eyes snapped up to hers immediately. They were full of uncertainty. "Who was it?"

"Don't get mad?" she whispered.

Panic seemed to form a small ball inside me, stuck at the base of my throat. "Who was it?"

She closed her eyes before muttering, "Peter."

"That _prick!_" Panic quickly turned to anger. I knew there was something wrong about it, something off, something dark that hid underneath his carefully painted on smile. I _knew _it. "I fucking told you he was trouble."

"Peter who?" Emmett demanded.

"He's this fucking creep that was hanging all over my girlfriend at our last gig!" I yelled. "I told you that I didn't trust him! Fuck!"

"Edward, calm down," Emmett said.

"Slimy bastard! Who the hell does he think he is? "

My mind paraded visions of them, his arms wrapped around her, his nose buried in her hair. The way his eyes took in every curve of her body as she turned away. The way his hand rested in her him. And again, I felt that vicious curl of jealousy spike in my chest. She was _mine._

"Edward," Emmett repeated. "Calm down."

"I should have fucking killed him like I wanted to."

"Right. We're going to the gym."

"I don't want to go to the gym," I snarled. "I want to hunt him down."

"I think you're scaring her," he said quietly. My eyes immediately found Bella. She had stumbled back a few steps, and was watching me with wide eyes. I hadn't realised I was standing, or the way my heart beat frantically in my chest, and my hands curled in to fists at my side.

"Shit, Bella, I'm sorry." I took a deep breath, calming myself further before I strode across the room and cupped her face gently. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. Forgive me?"

"You didn't scare me," she said faintly, and I brought my lips cautiously to hers.

"Eddie and I are going to hit the gym to burn off some energy," Emmett announced. "Don't leave the hotel, and I'd suggest steering clear of the main lobby, Bellybutton."

"Ok," she said, sounding surer of herself.

"Maybe you should call Alice, and give her an update," I suggested.

"That's a good idea," she agreed. "I'll see you in a bit?"

"In about an hour, probably," Emmett supplied.

We left the room with another quick kiss and headed down towards the gym, where there was a punch bag just waiting for me to project Peter's face on.

* * *

**See you next chapter.**

**I have no idea when that will be, because I am a terrible terrible writer.**


	21. Chapter 21

**I don't really know what to say, other than...  
**

**Enjoy,  
**

* * *

**BPOV**

The next month was crazily hectic. Alice had called on the way home informing us that a swarm of paparazzi were waiting outside the house. We'd already snuck out the back of the hotel to avoid a crowd of cameras, and now, we wouldn't be able to get in to our own house. Edward just sighed, and redirected the driver to a hotel. We'd snuck back in through the back entrance at 2am, just to get to our own bed.

The next morning, Edward had called Emmett for a meeting.

"_I don't want you leaving the house, Bella."_

"_I can't stay here for the rest of my life!" I complained. "I need to leave the house eventually."_

"_You can leave when it's died down."_

"_And how long will that be?"_

_We both looked at Emmett. "A couple of weeks, at least."_

"_And you expect me to stay here on my own, while you go gallivanting about?"_

"_I don't want you to get hurt!" he roared. _

_We sat in silence, glaring at each other._

"_This doesn't have to be a bad thing, Edward," Emmett said carefully. "You're in the public eye at the moment, with your tour and your new album. This is perfect timing, really."_

"_I don't want her exposed to the media." He stood up abruptly, pulling his hands through his hair. "They're _vicious_, Emmett. We've already been burned!"_

"_Edward," I said softly. "It's ok. We knew this would happen. We've lasted longer than I thought we would. But they know. So, shouldn't we just let them know what they want to know?"_

"_That's a good strategy, Bella," Emmett said. "Give them what they want, and they'll lose interest."_

"_What if they don't?" he asked. _

"_Then we'll deal with that when we come to it."_

_Edward slunk down on to the chair. "I don't like this."_

_Emmett ignored him, and turned to me. "Bella, is there anyone we need to deal with? Who would come out and give information? If we act quickly, we can probably limit the damage."_

_I thought over who knew me well enough to say anything. Mom wouldn't. I wouldn't like to think Angela would… "Mike, maybe. Jessica and anyone else I worked with. Potentially Angela."_

"_I'll deal with it."_

It was the morning of the interview. Edward had begrudgingly agreed to it, after much convincing from Emmett, Alice and me. He still wasn't pleased, but I was going to be standing in the side lines, cheering him on while he gave an interview on _Irina's Scene_.

"Everything ok, Miss Bella?" Embry, my new bodyguard asked. It was something that Edward wouldn't budge on, and truthfully, I was quite thankful for Embry when I was faced with a crowd of paparazzi. But I was already getting used to it. I'd learnt to keep my head down, and always dress nicely. There'd been a few pictures. It was a shock to see myself in a magazine for the first time, bu Edward had told me that I'd get used to that, too.

"Fine, thanks," I said to him. Me and Embry had a much less formal relationship than Edward and his own bodyguard, Sam. Even though he insisted on calling me Miss Bella. "Just a little nervous."

He nodded, and led me to the side of the stage. I sent Edward a quick text to know we were there.

Ten minutes later, he appeared at the side of me. "I didn't think I'd get to see you," I told him, pulling him in to a hug.

"Just sneaking in a good luck kiss before I go to the green room," he said.

I smiled, kissing him sweetly. "Go, you'll be fabulous."

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

He was on last, meaning I first had to sit through around an hour and a half of other interviews first, which would be eventually cut down to around 40 minutes. I had only seen glances of him so far, camera shots from the green room where he was laughing with the other interviewees. To anyone else, he looked calm, but his rumpled hair told another story.

"And now, we have a very exciting guest!" Irina said, and I felt my breath catch in my throat. "He's just finished his latest tour, and his new album hitting shelves…It's the gorgeous Edward Cullen!"

The crowd broke out in applause, with me clapping right along with them, as he appeared at the top of the stairs. His hair was ruffled and his tie was slightly crooked, but he looked as handsome as ever. He waved to the crowd, kissed Irina on the cheek, and settled himself down in to her famous red chair.

"So, Edward Cullen…you've been very busy lately, haven't you?" Irina started.

"Don't I know it," he said with a chuckle. The audience laughed along with him.

"I don't know where to start!" she said. "Let's talk about your album. Now you're new album_, Catching a Lift_, which I've got here, is great. I really loved it. But it's a bit different from you're first album, would you say?"

"It is quite different, yes. _Rebel With A Cause_, which was my first album, is a bit rockier than this one. We've slowed it down a bit on a few of the songs, done some acoustic versions at the end. There's a bit more of the piano featured as well, which was fun to play around with."

"Do you play on these tracks, or do you save that for your performances?"

"I've played on a couple of them. I tend to play on the acoustic ones, unless it's a tricky vocal. I definitely look forward to the times I get to play on these tracks."

"We certainly look forward to it, too. Now, you're first album was a whirlwind ride. You seemed to shoot straight to stardom in a matter of minutes!" Irina said. Edward nodded. "This album must have been quite a different experience for you."

"It was definitely a different kind of experience. A lot more relaxed, I think. _Catching a Lift_ is kind of representative of that. A lot of the songs are based around the kind of experiences I've had since that first success. The race at the start, followed by the calmer stuff towards the end, which is what we've tried to do with this album."

"It's certainly a wonderful album. And it's in stores now?"

"Yes," Edward said. "It's been out since last Monday."

"So let's talk about your tour. You got back a little over a month ago. How was it?"

"It was my second big tour around America. It was great. I love touring. I'm hoping that we'll be able to do a worldwide tour, soon. Or at least a European tour."

"I'm sure there's a lot of fans cheering about that. That's certainly going to be a long period of time away, though."

"Of course, I miss being at home. But the dedication of my fans almost makes up for that."

"Now we can't mention your tour without talking about a certain song dedication. Would this special girl have anything to do with missing home?"

Edward smiled widened, and I felt my own smile widen in response. "She's most certainly a big part of it."

"Can you tell us a bit about her?"

"Well, I don't want to divulge too much. Her name's Bella Swan. She currently works in publicity. She's smart, beautiful, and has an incredibly big heart."

"And how did you two meet?"

"We met at a party," he said.

"And how long have you been together? There are rumours that you live together. Can you confirm those rumours?"

I bit my lip. We hadn't discussed the answer to that question.

"Bella was in the process of moving shortly after I met her, so I offered her a place to stay in the meantime. I guess she never got around to moving out, and frankly, I'm unwilling to let her leave."

Irina laughed, and Edward flashed his winning smile. "Well, she sounds like a catch."

"I'm very lucky to have her. I still can't believe she loves me as much as I love her."

The audience let out a collective 'aww' as Edward smiled bashfully again.

"You look very happy, Edward," Irina said. "Should we be expecting news of a proposal soon?"

My heart flipped in my chest. Was I ready for a proposal? We hadn't been together that long…but did that matter?

"Let a guy have his secrets," he said, winking.

"It's been an absolute pleasure having you here. I understand you're going to sing us out?"

"I suppose I could give you a song, sure."

"Ladies and gentleman, to sing us out, with a song from his new album, _Shows Over, _Edward Cullen!"

The audience started cheering and clapping again as Edward made his way to the small stage and picked up his guitar.

I took the opportunity to find my way to the entrance to the green room.

"You were amazing." He seemed slightly taken aback as he saw me but eagerly scooped me in to his arms.

"I missed you," he mumbled in to my hair.

"I was less than 50 feet from you."

"But I missed touching you," he said. "I missed smelling you, tasting you."

"You don't play fair," I whined, before he claimed my lips.

"Time for that later!" a voice boomed. "Work first."

"Emmett," Edward groaned. "I didn't know you were here."

"Should I be worried you were groaning his name while kissing me?" I asked.

"That was a bad groan," he said.

"Good to know," I said. "What can we do for you, Em?"

"I wanted to congratulate my favourite client! Nicely handled, Edward. Especially the housing question. Took something dangerous and made it sweet. Good job."

"Thanks, Emmett," Edward said. "Anything else need doing today?"

"You have to do the promo picture," I supplied. "Then we're done."

"Hey, Bella?" Emmett said. "Can I borrow you for a minute?"

I looked at Edward. He shrugged. "I'm just gonna go and take a shower."

I nodded and took Emmett to the living room.

"You look serious. It's worrying."

"Nothing bad, Bellybutton. I just want to talk to you."

"Ok…" I hovered near the door. "Do you want a drink or anything?"

"No, thanks. Just sit down. I'm not gonna kill you."

"Right. Ok. What do you want to talk about?"

"Your job, actually. I'm aware that things have been hectic around here lately, but I wanted to discuss it. I'm aware it was a very spur of the moment decision, and I'd like to discuss it further."

"Wait a minute, are you firing me?" I asked, leaning forward. I'd gone to the office a few days over the last couple of days, but mostly I'd just been making coffee and taking calls. Emmett had promised it was just until I learnt the ropes, but it was pretty much what I had been expecting. The rest of the time I'd been accompanying Edward to his appearances.

"I'm not firing you," he said. "I just want to reassess your duties."

"Ok…"

"You have an English degree," he said.

"I do," I agreed.

"And no experience as a receptionist," he continued.

"Nope," I said.

"So in the interest of what's best for my company, and what you're most suited for, I'm offering you the chance to be relocated within the company."

"Relocated," I repeated. "To where?"

"Essentially, you will be helping writing the spiels we send out to the press. We'll probably start you off proof reading, until you get the hang of the way stuff is written. Then we'll move you up to some non-drastic stuff – album releases, press appearances etc. Then you can start with the 'client just dedicated a song to his unknown girlfriend' type catastrophe we get occasionally."

I threw my arms around him. "Thank you so much Emmett. I really appreciate it."

"It's no problem, Bella."

"No, I mean it," I told him, sitting back. "Thank you for – God, this sounds weird – thanks for treating me like everyone else."

"Don't thank me too much yet. This means more time at the office. Edward will have to make do without you sometimes."

I nodded. "We can do that. Everyone has jobs."

"Well, I'm glad you're the sensible one. You'll have to tell him," Emmett said with a smirk. "I'm betting he won't take it so well."

"He's a big boy. He'll get over it."

"I'm not ruling it out though. You can go with him if there's no one spare. And on tours," he added. "Nobody wants a repeat of that again."

"Perfect," I said. "That sounds perfect. Thank you so much, Emmy-bear."

He stood up, ruffled my hair. "Anything for you Bellybutton. Half eight at the office on Monday. I'll introduce you to your new team. Catch you later."

"Emmett!" I called, when he was at the door. "We can still do lunch, right, boss?"

"Of course!"

"What was that about?" Edward said, wrapping his arms around my waist. He smelt clean and manly.

"You want a cup of tea?" I asked, spooning two sugars in to my cup.

"No, thanks," he said. His lips found my neck. "Is it a secret?"

"No," I said, turning in his arms so we were facing. "We were talking about my job."

"What about it?"

I wrapped my arms around his neck. "He wants to move me in to a different department. I'll be proof reading statements, and eventually writing them. To make better use of my degree."

"Mmm," he hummed, kissing my head. "Is that something you'll enjoy?"

"Yeah," I said. "I think I will. It's been a while since I did any writing. I used to love working on the school newspaper."

"Then I'm happy for you," he said, dipping down to kiss my lips.

"That means I have to go to the office a lot more," I said.

"Mmhmm." He pressed some more kisses to my forehead.

"I won't always get to come with you on your outings."

"Wait, what?" he said, pulling back. "Whose gonna hold my hand before interviews?"

"You're a big boy, you'll be fine," I said. "We can still play on tours."

"Oh goodie," he said, pushing his hips forward and pinning me to the counter. "We still get hotel sex?"

"Lots of hotel sex," I agreed. "But you know what we haven't had?"

"What?"

"Kitchen sex."

"Well," he said, lifting me up on to the counter. "Let's fix that, shall we?"

* * *

**AN: I feel terrible about basically abandoning this story. I have some time now, so I'm going to try and finish this story over the next week or so. I'm guessing about two chapters left, which will be sort of future shots. I suck, but I want to give you all the HEA I had originally planned. **

**Hopefully, we can see this to the end.  
**


	22. Chapter 22

**Hello,  
**

**Sort of short, but I'm hoping you'll forgive me. We've time jumped forward a bit.  
**

* * *

**BPOV**

A year ago, I lived in a shitty apartment I could barely afford. I survived off minimum wage at a catering job and by stealing food off the plates to stop myself starving. A year ago, a good day was when I came home with clean clothes and no blisters. A year ago, I had never seen my name in a newspaper, let alone pictures of myself in gossip magazines. A year ago, I spilt red wine on a famous actress and the carpet. It should have been a terrible day.

I don't recognise my life from a year ago.

Today, I go home every day to a man with a huge house, and an even bigger heart. Today, if I see my picture in a magazine, it's old news. Today, I am standing in my own office, while someone else brings me coffee. After finding out I would probably be working late, Alice dropped over my dress for our monthly date night. When I first started at this job, and Edward was promoting his album, things got a bit hectic. I felt like I was barely seeing Edward, and even when I did, I just wanted to collapse in to bed. Edward finally cornered me, demanding I take a night off so he could take me out. As busy as our schedules are, Edward and I now always plan a date for every second Friday of the month, no matter what.

Edward had told me this morning that we would be trying somewhere new. Having eaten at practically every restaurant, I was intrigued, but he was determined to keep it a secret. I took the dress from the hanger and took it to the bathroom to change. It was an old one – the dark blue one, with the sparkly hem – that I had worn the first time I had met his parents. Alice had since had it customised, adding a few more crystals that decreased in quantity higher up the dress. When I twirled, the whole dress sparkled like the night sky.

A car was waiting for me outside, with tinted black windows and leather seats. I greeted the driver, and slid in the back. I considered ringing Edward, but made do with sending him a text instead. The leather was cool against the back of my legs, and the constant motion of the car was soothing. I leant my head back against the seat.

"We're here, Miss," the driver said, sooner than I was expecting. I slipped my shoes back on and thanked him as I slid out the door.

"Wait, this must be a mistake," I said, turning to the driver. "It's supposed to be our date night."

"This is what Mr Cullen instructed, Miss," he said.

"Are you sure?"

"Mr Cullen was quite adamant, Miss."

"Ok then," I said, reaching for my bag. "I'll…well, thank you."

"Have a nice night, Miss."

I nodded, and tug the keys out of my bag, walked up the path, and let myself in through the front door.

The hall was mostly dark, with just a small light coming from somewhere. I dropped my keys on the side, and took a careful step forward.

"Edward?" I called.

There was no answer. I took another step forward, and noticed the source of light. A single white candle on the table in the hallway. I walked towards it. Lying in front of it was two entwined red roses. I picked them up, twirling it around in my hands Another light caught my eye.

I stepped towards the second candle. Again, two entwined roses sat in front of it.

"Edward? Are you here?" I called.

The house was still quite, so I moved towards the next candle, which was in the living room, picking up another set of roses and adding it to the bouquet in my hands.

I followed the trail of candles through in to the kitchen. The curtains were pulled shut, and I resisted the urge to peek through, and made my way to the final candle. This one had two more roses, and a note that simply read 'Meet me outside." I added the final two roses to my bouquet, making it up to ten roses, took a deep breath, and pushed open the back door.

The breath whooshed out of me at the sight before me. There were roses everywhere, with small bouquets placed in vases and situated around the garden. Small paper lanterns littered the trees. Two lines of candles formed a path to the centre of the garden, where my Edward, my beautiful Edward stood with a smile on his face. He was dressed in a deliciously fitted suit and surrounded by a circle of smaller tea lights. In his hand, he held a single red rose.

"Bella," he said. I felt the tears well up in my eyes and I prayed I wouldn't trip as I made my way down the candlelit aisle. As I reached him, he held out the rose. "For you. To complete your bouquet."

I took it, and tucked it in with the others. "Edward…this is so beautiful."

"So are you, my Bella…" he said. "There's something I'd like to say before we eat, if that's ok?"

"Of course," I whispered.

"Beautiful Bella," he said, taking one of my hands in his. He continued to look at me, as he dropped to one knee. "I love you so much."

"Oh God," I whispered, as he reached in to his pocket to pull out a small box.

"Bella, before you came in to my life, I had no idea how much it was possible to love someone. I had never known how much better life could be. I had no clue what I needed until you burst into my life, spilt wine all over my carpet, and showed me what I was missing. You are the smartest, more beautiful, most caring person I have ever met, and I love you with all my heart, and by some miracle, you love me too. You have shown me how much joy you can gain from life and I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life trying to show you how grateful I am, if you'll have me. Bella Swan, I love you so much. Will you marry me?"

"Yes, yes, yes," I said, dropping to me knees and throwing my arms around him. He cupped my face with one hand, pulling me in to a searing kiss that is filled with passion and all-consuming love.

"The ring," he said as we pull apart for air. He opened the little blue box, revealing a diamond surrounded my small diamonds nestled in an intricate framework on either side. It's beautiful. He pulled it from its case and I hold out my hand for him to slide it in to place. "Perfect."

"It's gorgeous," I tell him. "You're gorgeous. I can't believe you did all this. It's too much."

"Nothing is too much for you, my love."

I kissed him again, and he pulls back much too soon for my liking. "Would you like to dance?" he asked.

"Ok," I said. He took my bouquet from me and deposited it in a nearby empty vase that is just outside the ring of candles. He took a small remote from his pocket and presses a button. As the smooth classical music fills the air, he takes my newly free hand in his, while the other one drops to my waist and pulling me firmly against him. My hand snaked up to his shoulder, and I rest my head on his chest.

We dance quietly for a few minutes, in the flickering light of the candles. "This is like a fairy tale," I tell him.

"The perfect setting for our happily ever after to begin." He twirls me around in a circle. "You play the part of the princess quite well."

"I'm serious. There are so many roses."

He flashes me the Cullen smile. "There are 108 roses, including your 11."

"That seems a rather random number. Care to share?"

"No, I'll leave you to google it later. But the 11 in your bouquet – that means 'you are the love of my life'."

"I love you," I said. "I think maybe it's time to go inside."

"Oh good," he said, standing up and offering a hand. "Because I would like to go and make love to my fiancée."

"I was hoping you'd say that," I said, taking his offered hand. "Race you to the bedroom?"

He didn't answer, but bent down and scooped me up. I gave a short yelp of surprise, which he covered with his mouth as he connected our lips again. Our tongues danced together as he strode inside.

When we reached our room, he laid me gently on the bed, and stepped back. "You are so beautiful," he whispered.

"So are you," I whispered back.

He crawled up the bed, joining our lips again in a gentle teasing kiss. His fingers played with the bow of my dress, carefully undoing it as his lips traced my collar bones, the tops of my breasts.

"Roll over," he instructed quietly. I moved under his hands. He pulled my zipper down, kissing each inch of exposed skin, to the base of my back.

"Off," I told him, turning over to tug at his jacket. We kept kissing, tasting each inch of each other as we removed the clothes. I kissed the dusting of hair on his chest. He traced the line of freckles on my forearm with his tongue. I kissed the underside of his knee. He kissed the hollow of my ankle.

When he had kissed each of my toes, he moved up the bed. Hovering above me, we stared at each other, breathing in the same air.

"I love you," I whispered.

"I love you," he whispered.

He leant down to capture my lips, and swallow my gasp, as he pushed in to me in a swift, sure stroke. My hips moved up to meet him, and we rocked together, slowly, gently, until we came together with each other's names on our lips.

* * *

**Aww?  
**


	23. Chapter 23

**Hello,  
**

**Guys, this is it. The final chapter. I'll see you at the bottom.  
**

* * *

**BPOV**

My phone buzzed.

_B – I know it's you're off, but Bree called in sick. Can you sneak out the audience and meet them afterwards? – Em_

I smiled. I'd already heard from Edward, and I'd planned to try and sneak backstage anyway.

**Em- Ok, but you owe me 1 –B x**

I turned my attention back to the stage.

"Ladies and gentleman, please welcome our next guests. Edward Cullen…and his sister, Alice Whitlock."

The crowd clapped and cheered wildly, with me right along with them. Irina welcomed them at the bottom of the stairs, kissing them both on each cheek and leading them to the two seats that had been set out.

"Welcome back, Edward," Irina said, settling herself behind her desk.

"Thanks for having me back," he said. "It's a pleasure to be here."

"And Alice, this is your first time in our red chair."

"Yes!" Alice trilled, "And I'd just like to tell everyone at home…it is as comfy as it looks."

The audience chuckled, and Edward reached over to squeeze her hand.

I felt the ball of nerves in my stomach unloosen slightly. Alice had been so nervous – what to say, what to avoid, what to wear – but she was going to be fine. She was born to be in the spotlight.

"You've been in the business for almost ten years now, Edward. That's quite impressive, wouldn't you say?"

"It certainly doesn't feel like ten years," Edward answered. "It's flown by."

"Would you agree, Alice?"

"Well, that's easy to say when you've got the fun end of the job," Alice said, shooting a playful glare at Edward. "I can see what he means. Each new thing to focus on makes the time fly past, but looking back at where we were when we started, it feels like a lifetime ago."

"And you've certainly managed to cram a lot in to those years. Let's recap for the audience," Irina said. "You started out in 2003, with your first single and album that shot you to success. Then you followed up in 2005 with _Catching a Lift_. That's when we first met Bella. Then you took a year and a half out, and came back not only with a number one single, but also your beautiful new wife. Your last album, _Train Ride Home_, came out later that year. With me so far, everyone?"

The audience cheered and Edward smiled good naturedly and a little sheepishly.

"So in 2008, you dabbled a little bit in acting when you did some voice over work in _A Pirate's Tale_. And then Felix Walters was so impressed that he offered you a role in _Love Spelled Backwards is Love, _which I believe is currently in post-production?"

"Yeah, they're pretty much done, I think. I finished all my scenes pretty early on, so I've been done for a while."

"The rumours were that you were offered one of the lead roles - the love interest of Josie Brooks, who's played by Tanya Denali."

"I'd heard that rumour going around as well. I'd never actually been formally offered for the part, or auditioned for it. I believe Tanya had suggested it, but everyone had agreed that Rob was much better for the part."

"You play the best friend of Josie in the film. Was it strange to be working with Tanya, after rumours that you've been romantically linked in the past?"

"Tanya and I are great friends. It was nice to have a friendly face to show me the ropes."

"Are you interested in doing any more acting?"

Edward shrugged. "I won't say never, but I think music is where my passion lies."

"These last few years, you've gone back to music, and have a new album for us. Would you like to tell us about it?"

"Of course," he said. "It's called _Pit Stop in Paradise_. It's very different to my other albums – pretty much a collection of covers and B Sides."

"But there's a very specific theme to the songs."

"Yeah, they're all love songs." The audience 'aww'ed. "I'm very excited about this album. It hits stores March 26th. All proceeds are going to charity, so please go out and buy it."

"That's wonderful, Edward," Irina said. "But I have to ask about the release date. This caused some arguments between you and your record label."

"My record label tried to get me to move the date forward a month. They believed it would be more suitable to release it before Valentine's Day, but I was pretty set about the day."

"Why this date?" Edward just smiled slightly and shook his head. "You have to give us something."

Alice leaned forward secretively. "He's just shy. It's actually their wedding anniversary. Edward goes all out with gifts."

Irina's calm façade was slipping, and there was a smile tugging at her lips. Edward's sweetness was enough to disarm anyone, and enough to bring me to tears.

"Let's talk about your current project then."

Edward looked at Alice, raising an eyebrow at her to tell her to take the lead. She smiled brightly at him, and then turned to Irina.

"When I say Edward goes all out with gifts, I mean it. We always have big family birthdays, and this year was no exception. We have a tradition where we go to the house of whoever's birthday it is. The birthday person sits on a chair and everyone else sits around in a circle." I smile, remembering my first birthday with the Cullens. I didn't usually celebrate it, but someone had ratted me out to Edward, and he insisted I be part of their tradition. Once the presents had been opened, and Esme and Carlisle had excused themselves, they explained I had to pick a game I'd played as a child, and turn it in to a drinking game. We ended up playing 'The Floor Is Lava', which resulted in a broken swivel chair and hangovers all round. I hoped Alice wasn't going to mention that part of the tradition.

"I'm sitting in the chair, and Edward hands me this big brown envelope. He's last in the circle, and everyone else has given me shoes, bags, jewellery, so I'm thinking, what the hell is this? And inside there's some pictures and some papers. I pull the papers out and I don't really understand, so I pass them to my Jasper – my husband – and he looks over them. Then he's saying something, but I can't pay attention 'cause I've just realised why I recognise this building in the photos. It's the old recording studio downtown, except now it's got a new sign – Ally Cat Records. I look over at Edward and he explains. Yeah, he's bought us a recording studio and we're starting up a record label."

"Alice has a great ear for potential," Edward said. "And she's a really great people's person. She was invaluable in getting my music out there. It's the perfect job for her."

"I'm really excited for this project. We've talked about starting up a record label before," Alice said. "Back at the start, when I was still watching Edward play in dingy basement bars to five people – on a good night – we always said that if he ever got famous we'd start a label. I just never expected that we'd actually do it."

"We want to focus on new bands. There's some really great talent out there that goes unnoticed. It's those kinds of people we want to help."

Irina smiled at both of them and wished them success. I recognised the start of her wrapping up spiel, and shuffled out of the row. I made the now familiar path to the backstage door and greeted the security guy, who opened the door for me so I could wait at the green room.

I heard their voices before I saw them. They were laughing, with Alice talking excitedly. She bounced around the corner first.

"Congratulations, Alice!" I said, reaching out to hug her. She kissed me on the cheek and bounced back on her heels, smiling.

"Thank you, Bella!"

"Hello, beautiful wife," Edward said, kissing me lightly on the lips. "Hello, Baby Lily," he added, kneeling and kissing my swollen stomach. "Will we get to meet you today?"

"You better hope not," I said. I wasn't due for a month. "Come on, Jasper's waiting outside."

* * *

"What do you think, Lily-Pad?" Edward asked, rocking our little girl backwards and forward in his arms. He lifted her up and kissed her forehead. "Should Daddy sign up this band?"

I watched them for another minute. They were so similar. She was going to be a stunner just like her Dad when she grew up. Lily had big green eyes and his mouth. She had gotten his bronze hair, but in my curls. Edward swore that she was going to be his next talent scout – that she'd wrinkle her nose if she heard something she didn't like, and that she'd fall asleep on a best seller. Right now, as she yawned and blinked sleepily, Edward leaned down to mark the song on the track list.

There was a knock on the door, and I left them to it. Alice was coming over.

"Hi, Bella," she said. "Got a new stack of CDs. Where's Edward?"

"In the living room," I told her. "With Lily."

She smiled and hugged me with one arm. I hugged her back tightly. She had taken to the business extremely well. She dragged whoever was free out at least once a week to an open mike night. When no one was free, she'd go on her own. She'd approach anyone with potential afterwards and tell them that she'd enjoyed their set, invite them to send in a CD, and leave a card. Sometimes they'd recognise her, sometimes not. As word got around, they began to get more CDs in. She was a bit overwhelmed at the start, asking a second opinion on almost every CD. She found it hard to say no to people. Determined to be supportive, she started sending out recommendations back to those who weren't signed. As she grew in confidence, she started passing less CDs on to Edward, and then only the good ones. Now, she'd only bring around ones she was enthusiastic about. She'd never sign a band without Edward's input.

I followed her to the living room and watched as she put the CDs on the side, and took Lily, who was sleeping, from Edward's arms.

"Found a best seller, huh?" she said. "I bought you a new stack of CDs. There's some really good stuff in there. There's a song called Strawberry Milkshake by The Sunshine Mellows that I can't get out of my head."

"I'll give it a listen."

"Thanks, bro." She handed Lily to me. "I've got to run. I just came to drop them off."

* * *

"Hello?" I said in to the phone, slightly out of breath. Lily gurgled on my hip.

"Bella!" Alice said. "Get Edward and turn on a 4Music."

"Why?" I said, but she was gone.

"Edward!" I called. "Alice wants us to watch 4Music!"

He appeared in the doorway, a bright smile on his face. "Really? Awesome!"

He held his hand out for me and tugged me towards the living room. He pulled Lily in to his lap and pulled me down next to him. The music top 40 was already playing.

"Did you release a new song I don't know about?" I asked.

"Nope," he said. "Listen."

"The Number 1 track this week. Strawberry Milkshake by The Sunshine Mellows!"

The happy strum of the ukulele I'd heard before started and I looked to Edward in understanding. "Alice's band made number one!"

"Ally Cat Record's first number one!" he said. He reached over to kiss my forehead. "I'm so proud of her."

"We should do something to celebrate," I said. "Can we do a party here?"

* * *

"Make sure you give her a bottle before she sleeps or she'll be up at the crack of dawn. And play her the CD that we left – the Death Cab for Cutie one. It's her favourite," I said. "I know, Esme. She doesn't like the nursery rhymes one. Ok, ok. Call me if you need anything, ok? I can come right over. Ok, thank you so much."

I slid my phone in to the strap around my leg. It probably wasn't necessary, but I didn't want to risk missing anything. I straightened my dress and opened the bedroom door.

The party was already in full swing. We'd had a family dinner earlier in the week, but we'd invited all their work friends for a party. I passed a group of girls with champagne flutes that were talking about Edward, and tried to ignore the sense of déjà vu I was getting.

"There you are," Edward said, coming up beside me and wrapping his arm around my waist. "Everything alright?"

"Yeah," I said. "She's not asleep yet, but Esme said she'd put the CD on."

"It's her favourite," he insisted. "Do you want something to eat?"

"I'm ok, thanks," I said. "Are you enjoying yourself?"

He smirked. "I can think of something I would rather be doing…"

I slapped his hand away from my thigh. "Behave. This is Alice's party."

I watched the crowd for a while, talking to a few people. Eventually I found my way to the back of the house, where there was a group of younger people hanging about, drinking beer. Seth, who had recently moved to Ally Cat Records, was sat on the pool table.

"Hey Bella," he said. "Great party."

"Thanks," I said. "What's going on here?"

"Some of the band guys aren't up to schmoozing."

"I know that feeling," I answered, sitting next to him. "You guys are the cool crowd then?"

"You got it. We even got the Sunshine Mellows themselves."

Three guys looked up at that. They looked young. Teenagers. "That's Sam, Tom and Luke," Seth said, motioning down the line.

"Congratulations, guys."

"Thanks," Luke said. He had a cheeky grin. "Bella, right?"

"Right."

"Think we could borrow a guitar at all?"

"You guys never take a night off?"

"A musician's life," Tom said. "We can't help it."

"You could probably borrow one of Edward's." I shuffled off the table. "Come on."

Luke got up, said something to the others, and then walked towards me. "You sure that'll be ok?"

"I'll get one of his spares. He won't mind." We walked towards the living room. "How's fame so far?"

"Crazy," he said. "Not many people know us as people yet, but you just say the name and...wow."

"Have you had people sing your songs at you yet? That always happens to Edward."

"Oh God, yeah! It's like…I know that's my song, I sing it!"

We were too busy laughing to see what happened next. A young girl, carrying a tray of glasses tripped in front of us. The glasses flew off the platter. We jumped back to avoid them.

I took in her frightened expression, her black skirt and white blouse.

Ok, this is not happening.

"Shit," she mumbled, dropping to her knees. "Shit, shit, shit. I'm so sorry. I'll go get it cleaned up right now."

She looked up, took in my appearance first, and the Luke's, her eyes widening in recognition. "Shit! You're Luke from the Sunshine Mellows!"

I smirked at Luke. So much for not being recognised.

"My boss is going to _kill _me. I'm so sorry. I can, um, buy you new glasses?"

I crouched down to her level. "What's your name?"

"Emily," she whispered. "Please don't get me fired. You have no idea how much I need this job."

I glanced at Luke, whose gaze was fixed on Emily. I knew that look. She _was _very pretty.

"Well, Emily. Don't worry about it. Come get cleaned up." I helped her up. Luke was still looking at her, and as she noticed, her cheeks heated in a blush. "Let me tell you guys a funny story…"

The End.

* * *

**There we have it.**

**Thank you all for getting this far. You can rest assured that they all live happily ever after.  
**

**I love you all.  
**

**- ChasingSunsets.  
**


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